


Seduced by Scale and Shadow

by Golden_Asp



Series: A Crown of Thorn and Shadows [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Anal Sex, Fae AU, M/M, Odin is a dick, Odin's A+ Parenting, Open Relationships, Pseudo-Incest, Seelie Court, Seelie Loki, Seelie Thor, Sibling Incest, Thor/Loki main pairing, Torture, Unseelie Court, Unseelie king Tony Stark, magick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:29:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 30,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21596146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Golden_Asp/pseuds/Golden_Asp
Summary: Loki didn't understand why he didn't really belong to the gold and glittering halls of the Seelie court.  His brother was the perfect Seelie warrior, big and gold and beautiful.  Loki was not.  When the Seelie princes are sent as an envoy to the dark Unseelie court, he discovers a place that he feels strangely at home.  While there, he and Thor can finally indulge in the love they've been hiding from each other for centuries.Upon their return to the Seelie court, they must keep their love a secret or risk everything.
Relationships: Loki/Thor (Marvel), Loki/Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Series: A Crown of Thorn and Shadows [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1481057
Comments: 13
Kudos: 126
Collections: Thorki Big Bang 2019





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here is the second part of ACTS. Technically this takes place about 800 years before the ironstrange one, and can be read without reading that one. 
> 
> This story is mostly Thorki, with side Pepperony and one Loki/Tony scene. Tony is referred to as Anthony throughout the story as he has not taken the moniker of Tony yet and Loki and Thor refer to him in a more formal manner anyway. 
> 
> This is for the Thorki Big Bang. Art (in chapter 2) is by [Navin-Chan](https://twitter.com/Navin_chan) (also find them [here](https://twitter.com/Navin_Chan2) ). Thanks to [HogwartsToAlexandria](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HogwartsToAlexandria/pseuds/HogwartsToAlexandria) for beta-ing. 
> 
> Here is the [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7s7wJA956P6OpxTyKwn9nn?si=veoEFbCDS3OdEqm3V--NHA) for this series.

“Introducing the liaisons of King Odin, King of Light, the First of the Seelie court, his beloved sons Prince Thor Odinson and Prince Loki Odinson,” the dark skinned guard standing to the left of the throne said, eyes on the Seelie contingent. “With them, Lord Steven Rogers, Lord James Barnes, Lady Sif and the Warriors Three.”

Loki fell to one knee, bowing low before the king of the Unseelie court. He reached up when his brother did not kneel and yanked him down.

“Show some respect, Thor,” Loki hissed. Thor shot him a dirty look but bowed stiffly to the Unseelie royals. Loki heard the king snort and risked a glance. 

King Anthony Stark was not what he expected from his father’s tales of the horrors of the Unseelie court. He was, as all Sidhe, beautiful beyond reason. His long, brown hair was tied back in a tail down his back, silver braided into it. He had a finely trimmed goatee framing his lips. Not many in the Seelie court wore a beard besides his brother and it was strange to see it.

King Stark’s lips twisted in a smirk and he tilted his head, holding his hand out to the woman sitting in the throne to his right. The Sidhe took his hand, lacing their fingers together as they looked down upon the Seelie in the midst of the dark court. 

The Unseelie queen was the reason they had braved the winter court. None of them were happy to be there; they were Seelie through and through. They all preferred the white and gold marble halls of the summer court to the black and silver they stood in at the moment. Thor had argued against going. What good could come of going into the lair of the twisted king?

Odin had been insistent. The Unseelie queen had belonged to them—him—once, and he wanted her back. So he had sent his eldest son and Loki had wiggled his way into the envoy despite his father’s protests. Politics and diplomacy were not Thor’s strong suit, but they _were_ Loki’s. 

He didn’t know why Odin hadn’t wanted him to go with Thor, and he couldn’t deny that it had hurt. He had worked for centuries to be his brother’s equal in their father’s eyes, but nothing ever seemed to work. Loki did not look like most of the Seelie Sidhe. They were tall and gold and perfect. Loki, while tall, was dark and pale, a perfect contrast to his golden brother. Many Seelie wore their golden, sun kissed skin with pride, and Loki had once been told his skin resembled the underbelly of a snake.

It had taken their mother to get Odin to change his mind. Frigga, as ever, was a cool, compassionate counterpoint to her husband. Thus Odin had changed his mind and Loki was permitted to attend his brother in the Unseelie court. 

Loki glanced at the queen and was struck by the fact that her throne was equal with her husband’s. Frigga’s sat below and to the left of Odin’s, never on equal footing. King Anthony Stark’s queen sat on equal ground with him and it was not what Loki was expecting.

“My lady Potts,” Thor started.

“Queen,” the king butted in. “Her proper title is Her Majesty Pepper Stark, Queen of the Unseelie, Queen of Air and Flame, healer of great renown, holder of my heart, and leash.”

Loki bit back a laugh at that, trying desperately to stifle his giggles. He swore the king flashed a smile at him before focusing on Thor. 

Thor’s face was nearly comical; his eyes widened in surprise, his mouth hanging half open. 

“She…you are king! Surely you don’t have a leash!”

The titters and laughter from the court echoed around the great hall. King Stark smirked and leaned forward, fingers still loosely entwined with the queen’s. 

“I have many leashes, Prince Thor, and collars and chains and whatever else my queen asks to use on me. Surely you have a keeper?”

Thor stood up straight, chest puffing out indignantly. “I am Prince Thor, lord of the storms, and —”

“And a brainless oaf,” Loki said, getting to his feet and shouldering Thor back. He risked turning his back on the king and queen to address his brother. “We are in the presence of the king and queen of the Unseelie court, show some respect. You must remember Father’s stories of the split of the courts and the war.”

“I can call lightning to protect us,” Thor said.

“And what is the king’s full title, Thor?” Loki growled.

Thor blinked, a frown crossing his face.

The king stood up and trotted down the dais steps. “Let me help you out, Prince Thor. My full title is King Anthony Stark, King of Blood and Darkness.”

Thor’s lip curled at that and Loki wanted to disappear. Goddess, could his brother be any more of a fool? King Stark was one of the most powerful Sidhe in all of Fae and his buffoon of a brother couldn’t stop antagonizing the man. If the king didn’t want them to leave, none of them would be leaving. He could send all of their heads back to Odin on a silver platter and probably enchant them to sing a song.

“And what does that mean, Thor?” Loki said, putting himself partway between Thor and King Stark. “I know you’re not as brainless as you’re acting.”

Thor shot him a nasty look and then his shoulders slumped. “It means that he could call the blood from our bodies from any size wound and shroud us in darkness, never to be found again.”

“Close enough,” King Stark said. “So, the feast doesn’t start for another few hours. I know you’re just dying to talk to Pep, so I’ll leave you and your entourage to speak to my queen. I’m going to take this fascinating young Sidhe with me.”

He looked right at Loki and held out his arm. Loki arched his eyebrow and slipped his hand into the crook of Stark’s elbow.

“Loki, you can’t,” Thor said, stepping forward.

“Peace, thunderer,” Stark said, rolling his eyes. “Your brother will come to no harm at my hand.”

“Swear it,” Thor said, looking between Loki and the king.

Stark tilted his head. “I swear by the Goddess that your brother, Loki Odinson, prince of the Seelie court, will come to no harm at my hand during this visit.”

“Ever,” Thor said forcefully.

“I will not swear that,” Stark said. “This visit only. Take it or leave it.”

“He’ll take it,” Loki said, glaring at his brother. Thor jumped when a petite hand touched his arm and he looked down at the owner of the hand. The queen looked up at him, a gentle smile on her face.

“Come walk with me, Prince Thor,” she said. “I would show you the gardens. Your warriors are more than welcome to join us.”

Thor looked between the queen standing at his side and his brother with his arm through the king’s. Loki gave a small nod and Thor sighed inaudibly. With a slightly strained smile, he held his arm out to Queen Pepper.

“It would be my honor to see the gardens, Queen Pepper,” Thor said. Pepper smiled and put her arm through Thor’s just as Loki’s was through her husband’s. Loki watched as she gently led Thor away. Steve Rogers glanced at Loki in askance and he nodded in return. He would be fine. The king had given his oath and the Fae did not lie.

Steve clapped James on the shoulder and they took up positions behind Thor and the queen. The Lady Sif and the warriors followed. Stark snapped his fingers and a matching number of guards seemed to materialize out of the shadows, following the Seelie contingent. 

“Come,” Stark said, drawing Loki’s attention away from his brother. Loki felt a bit odd standing next to the king. 

“I thought you would be taller,” Loki said. 

Stark smiled, the braid of his dark brown hair curling over his shoulder. “Most do.”

Stark was shorter than any Sidhe Loki had ever met. Most were lithe and tall, long hair and beautiful eyes. Stark came up to just above Loki’s shoulder and was broader than most. Thor and Steve were the broadest, most muscle-bound Sidhe Loki had ever seen, but Stark was close. Loki wondered about his fighting style.

Stark led Loki through the dark stone halls of the Unseelie Sithen, their arms linked. Neither said anything as they walked, their footsteps muffled. Torches flickered in the hall, casting odd shadows that Loki swore reached for Stark as they passed.

He wasn’t used to this place. The Seelie Sithen was open and light, white marble and gold everywhere. This place was darker; it seemed that the Unseelie favored black and silver. From everything his father had told him, nightmares lived in this court, creatures that should never see the light of day, let alone be part of Faerie.

Loki quite wanted to meet at least one.

“Where are you taking me?” Loki asked.

“Where would you like to go?” Stark replied, giving a careless shrug. “I simply wanted to spend time with you.”

Loki was absolutely not blushing. He wasn’t. He was over five hundred years old. He did not blush.

“Why me and not Thor? Thor is the first born, after all, and in line for the throne.”

Stark threw his head back and laughed. The sound raised the hair on the back of Loki’s neck; it echoed through the dark hallway and he swore he heard chittering laughter bouncing back at them from the shadows.

“Is that what Odin tells you? That the throne is hereditary?”

“Is it not?”

“Not that I’m aware of. The Sithen and Goddess choose the king or queen of the courts. Odin would do well to remember that.”

“Father says he was chosen,” Loki pointed out.

Stark hummed, covering one of Loki’s cool hands with his own. “I’m sure the story your father tells of the formation of the Seelie court and my story of the formation of the Seelie court are entirely different things. I will not subject you to it. I’m certain nothing I say could convince you that my version is the truth.”

“Truth is subjective, is it not?” Loki asked.

Stark flashed him a wicked smile. “Oh, you’re a smart one, aren’t you? Yes, truth can be subjective. I believe in the truth of my court, my life, and Odin believes in his. I have not had much contact with the Seelie since the split and the war, but from what I hear, if you don’t believe Odin’s truth, there can be…problems.”

Loki was silent for a moment. As much as he would like to protest Stark’s words, he couldn’t. Odin ruled the Seelie without question. His word was absolute law.

“And do you not enforce your truth?” Loki asked carefully, looking up as they came to a large, dark wood door. Stark gestured at the door and it split open, revealing a finely appointed set of chambers. Loki looked around, taking in the library and the large fireplace. Stark flicked his fingers at the fireplace and it roared to life, filling the room with a warmth Loki hadn’t realized he was missing.

Stark gestured to one of the chairs sitting in front of the fire and Loki perched on the edge of it, watching as the king poured two large mugs of mead. He set it next to Loki and sat next to him, staring into the fire.

“Many members of my court were there when the split occurred,” Stark said, “and they remember the same tale I do. It was the younger Fae that followed Odin. Not many of the old ones followed him. I do not have to enforce my truth, because I trust my people to remember.”

Loki swirled his mead, staring into the golden liquid. “I’m not sure Odin trusts anyone,” Loki said.

Stark hummed, lounging in his chair and watching Loki intently. Loki wasn’t sure what to feel about the intense scrutiny of the king’s gaze. There was a familiar heat to it, one he’d felt from his various lovers, but there was more than that. An intelligence that Loki rarely saw, and a question in the gaze. It was like Stark was searching for an answer to a question in Loki, but Loki didn’t realize there was even a question.

“I understand that,” Stark said finally. “It is hard to truly trust people when you are the king. You never know when someone might want your throne.”

Loki sat up straight. “Have you been challenged for the throne?”

Stark just smiled, sipping his mead. “Not for a long, long time.”

There was something about his tone that chilled Loki. Odin was harsh, but his stories of Stark and his tortures were legendary and legion. Loki wondered at what Stark had done to keep his people from challenging him.

They sat in silence and Loki wondered what Thor and the others were up to. He wasn’t exactly sad to be away from them. While his relationship with Steve and James was good, Sif and the warriors three did not like him and the feeling was mutual. 

He missed his brother, though. He felt like they had drifted apart in the last couple hundred years. Thor had focused on his prowess in battle, calling lightning to his hands and earning his title of ‘Stormbringer’. Loki focused on his magick, learning at his mother’s knee and then moving well beyond her teachings. 

When they’d been young, they’d rarely been apart. They slept in the same bed, ran through the halls together, played with the Fae creatures of the forest together, and grew up together.

They’d shared rooms until Odin said they were far too old to do that and that it was not proper for brothers to share beds.

Loki wished he could say he couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment his feelings towards his brother had changed from brotherly, but he could. He would always remember seeing Thor kiss the Lady Sif and the knot of disappointment and jealously that appeared deep within him. 

It wasn’t the Seelie way to love your sibling. Loki could only watch him from afar, and try to find comfort in the arms of other broad, golden haired Sidhe that would have him. Loki might not look very Seelie, but he was an attentive lover and it wasn’t difficult for him to find partners. 

He only had to be careful not to say Thor’s name in the throes of passion. 

He often wondered if Thor felt the same. He caught his brother staring at him from time to time, looking away as soon as their eyes met. What if Thor did love him?

He shook his head, downing his mead in long swallows. It didn’t matter. Nothing could ever happen between them.

Loki looked up to find Stark watching him, chin propped on his hand. Loki blinked, staring back at him.

“What do you think of the Unseelie court, Loki?” Stark asked.

Loki gave the question serious thought. He didn’t want to offend the king.

“From what little I have seen of it, I find it…beautiful.” 

Stark looked as surprised as Loki felt at his words.

“Beautiful?” Stark said.

Loki bit his lip and looked away from the curiosity in the king’s gaze. 

“Yes, I do find it beautiful. There is a…” His lips twisted in a wry smile. “There is a truth to this court that I rarely see in the Seelie. I haven’t seen much of the court, though.”

“Would you be amendable to seeing more?” Stark asked.

“I would, King Stark,” he said without hesitation.

Stark made a face. “Ew. Call me Anthony, please.”

Loki opened his mouth to protest and then closed it. He bowed his head, lips twitching in a smile. He didn’t know why he felt so relaxed around the king, but he did. He felt a moment of shock when he realized that he felt more at ease in Anthony’s company than he did his own father.

“King Anthony, then,” Loki said. Anthony rolled his eyes and got to his feet. He held out his hand and hauled Loki up, pulling the Seelie prince’s hand into the crook of his elbow again.

“Stubborn Seelie,” Anthony said, a thread of fondness in his voice. “Let’s go then. We’ll eventually meet up with the others in the gardens. They are quite worth seeing, though I’m sure the Seelie gardens are quite nice.”

“They are,” Loki said. “My mother tends them.”

“Ah, yes. Pep speaks fondly of her sister.”

Loki stumbled, staring at Anthony with wide eyes. 

“I’m guessing Frigga never mentioned her?” Anthony said.

“She said she had a sister in the Unseelie court, but Father grew enraged whenever she spoke of her and…Goddess, it all makes sense now.”

“What does?” Anthony asked.

“Father’s determination to get her back,” Loki said.

Anthony drew them to a halt, the darkness growing thicker around them, the shadows reaching for the king. Loki very carefully did not look at the darkness creeping closer.

“And does Odin not care what others want?” Anthony asked, voice dark.

Loki bowed his head. “He believes he is always right. He says he is worshipped as a god and his word is law.”

“He is not the Goddess or the Consort. He was worshipped as the god of wisdom, which I always found highly ironic given what an absolute _idiot_ he turned into when he was not chosen.”

Loki frowned at the ground, still not looking the king in the eye. 

“He said he was chosen to lead the Seelie.”

“He is the reason the Faerie split into two courts,” Anthony spat. He took a deep breath and let it out, shaking his head. “Forgive me, Loki. I did not mean to take my anger out on you. No matter what your father says, I am not holding Pepper here against her will. I love her, and if she wanted to go back I would let her. Yes, she misses her sister, but she remembers Odin when the courts were one, and she has no desire to be under his thumb.”

Loki was silent for a moment. “I do not blame her,” he whispered. He often felt the same way. 

Anthony squeezed his arm. “Let us continue with the tour. You will have time to speak to Pepper. I’m sure she will question you about Frigga.”

“I would be happy to speak to her,” Loki said as they started walking again. His mind drifted to the times Frigga would speak of her sister, never naming her, but always speaking fondly and sadly of her. She said that her sister had been one of the best healers in all of Faerie, blessed by the Goddess, and that she had fallen in love with a Sidhe that their father did not approve of. She had never come back, although Loki was certain that his mother and her sister managed to communicate somehow. Frigga had been married to Odin, her choice taken away from her when she had tried to follow her sister. 

Frigga had always said she loved her sons with all her being, but there was no love lost between her and Odin. 

Loki hoped Thor was treating Pepper with kindness. He wasn’t sure Thor realized that their mother had a sister, let alone that he was in her presence. 

They reached an intricate gate and it swung open silently without a touch. Loki heard a strange rustling behind it and gaped at the wall of blood red roses that writhed and danced beyond the gate. 

Anthony paused and pulled back his sleeve, holding his wrist out. The roses surged down, wrapping around his wrist. Loki smelled the sharp, copper tang of blood and stared as the roses drank from the king. 

The white roses of the Seelie drank from Odin, but it always seemed like Odin forced them. These Unseelie roses caressed and cradled the king they drank from.

Loki could see many silver scars on Anthony’s wrist, proof of the roses favor. 

“You have roses in the Seelie court, yes?” Anthony asked, rolling his sleeve back down.

“Yes, of course. But they never seem as willing as yours to drink from Odin.”

“Interesting,” Anthony said, taking Loki’s arm again and linking them together. The roses were connected to the very essence of Faerie and they drank from royalty to cement the bond between king and court. He didn’t say anything else about Odin as they walked and Loki figured that the subject made the king angry.

He didn’t blame him. Thinking about Odin made him angry.

“We’re here,” Anthony said, drawing to a halt.

Loki brought his attention to their surroundings. Unlike the Seelie garden, this one was a riot of uncontrollable color and smells. Odin liked perfection and order in his court, and the gardens reflected that. Loki inhaled, the smells tickling his nose as a breeze blew playfully around them. 

This garden, wild and overgrown and all the more beautiful for it, reminded him of his mother’s private garden, the one where Odin was not allowed to tread. 

He heard Thor’s booming voice up ahead. It seemed he was regaling the queen with stories of his battles and Loki couldn’t resist rolling his eyes. 

Of course Thor was talking about the battles he had fought in. Loki wasn’t sure his brother knew how to speak of anything else. 

Anthony led Loki over an overgrown path and he saw what seemed to be a hand carved gazebo up ahead. Flowers curled up it, casting shade over the gathered party below it. Pepper sat on the bench, the same dark-skinned guard that had announced them earlier at her back. Loki was both pleased and surprised to see Thor and the others sitting at her feet while Thor’s hands waved as he told his tale.

“That dragon gets bigger every time he tells that story,” Loki whispered, just for the king.

Anthony let out a surprised bark of laughter and smothered it before ruining Thor’s story. “Oh, let him have his tales,” Anthony said. They stopped outside of the gazebo and Loki’s gaze moved automatically to his brother.

Goddess, Thor was beautiful. 

His heart twisted in his chest. Thor’s was a beauty he could never have. 

He jumped when Anthony squeezed his hand. There was a knowing look in the Unseelie king’s eyes that made Loki drop his, a blush spreading across pale cheeks. Anthony gave him a soft smile and guided him to the group.

Thor finished his tale just as they arrived and his eyes lit up when he saw his brother standing there. 

“Loki! Have you seen this garden? It is beautiful in its wildness, is it not?” Thor said, holding his hand out to his brother with the absolute knowledge that Loki would take it.

Loki waited half a heartbeat and then took Thor’s hand, letting him drag him down next to them.

“It is a beautiful garden,” Loki said, bowing to Pepper. His lips twitched in a mischievous smile. “Although not as beautiful as you, Aunt Pepper.”

Thor’s eyes about bugged out of his head as Pepper threw her head back and laughed. Anthony dropped onto the bench next to her, brushing a kiss over her shoulder as she laughed.

“Anthony told you, did he? I know for certain Frigga is not allowed to mention my name.”

“You are our mother’s sister?” Thor said, looking between Pepper and Loki.

“I am,” she said, smiling down at them. The Seelie contingent looked well and truly shocked, none so much as Thor himself. 

“I must ask for your forgiveness,” Thor said. “I did not know.”

“Of course you would not know,” Pepper said easily. “I knew when I made the decision to stay with Anthony that my name would be no better than mud among the Seelie.”

“But she’s never said your name,” Thor said quietly. 

“She wouldn’t,” James Barnes said, drawing the attention of the Unseelie onto him. The soldier straightened up and tried not to let the gaze of the king and queen faze him. “But it makes more sense now why King Odin would send us here.”

“Is Odin under the impression that I am being held here against my will?” Pepper asked, tilting her head. Her flame red hair fell over her shoulder and Anthony twisted his fingers in it, ignoring the Seelie looking up at them.

“Father says that no true Seelie would want to stay in the court of nightmares,” Thor said. He barely ducked the swat from Loki.

“Goddess, Thor! Can you think before you speak for once?”

“What?” Thor asked, spreading his hands.

“You don’t call it the court of nightmares in front of the king of said court!” Loki said, gesturing at Anthony.

Thor blinked and ducked his head. Really, he should just let Loki take charge of these political meetings.

“Forgive me, your majesty,” Thor said, the words catching in his throat.

Anthony waved his hand. “Believe me, Prince Thor, I’ve heard them all.”

“As to not wanting to stay here, why wouldn’t I?” Pepper asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She didn’t seem angry at Thor’s words and Loki was grateful for it. “Once there was only one court, Faerie. It wasn’t until Anthony was chosen as king that Odin decided to split the Fae. He was always overbearing, even when Frigga and I were young.”

“We were not alive at the time of the split,” Steve said.

“So young,” Anthony murmured, still playing with Pepper’s hair. 

“We are all over five hundred,” Sif said, voice stiff with dislike.

Anthony snorted. “As I said, young.”

“Be nice,” Pepper chided him gently. She looked back at the Seelie. “As much as I miss my sister, I am not going to return to the Seelie court. However, we are not going to send you away without showing you the hospitality of the Unseelie.”

Anthony couldn’t hide the grin at the way the Seelie paled.

“Looks like dear old Odin has been telling horror stories of us,” he said with a laugh. 

Pepper nudged Anthony’s shoulder and turned to face the Seelie. “Dinner. There is a feast to be held in your honor tonight.”

“We will greatly appreciate the chance to partake in an Unseelie feast,” Loki said, taking charge again. The other Seelie bowed stiffly.

“Wonderful,” Anthony said. He rested his head on Pepper’s shoulder, whiskey eyes watching them. “We have a suite of rooms set aside for you all. Rhodey will show you the way.” 

The dark-skinned Sidhe stepped forward, watching them dispassionately. 

“Oh, the princes are sharing a suite, as are Lords Rogers and Barnes. The rest of you have rooms across the hall from them,” Anthony said, meeting Loki’s eyes. Loki was very glad he could control his reactions better than most or he would be as red as those Unseelie roses. 

“We will see you at dinner,” Pepper said as she and Anthony stood up. They linked their hands and walked off, heads bent towards each other as they went. Loki watched Pepper’s red cloak move of its own volition, twisting against the wind and playfully smacking at Anthony as they walked.

Loki got to his feet and pulled Thor up.

“Well, that could’ve gone better,” Loki said, scrubbing at his face.

“It could’ve gone a lot worse,” Sif said.

“This way,” Rhodey said, stepping off and walking away at a brisk pace. The Seelie scrambled to keep up with him. Loki noted that he was absolutely covered in blades and realized that this man was the king’s closest and most trusted guard.

They followed him through the dark halls, firelight reflecting off the black marble. Thor walked close to Loki, like he was worried that something would reach out of the darkness and snatch his younger brother away. Loki huffed and pretended to be annoyed, but the warmth at his side was comforting as always.

If the rest of the Seelie weren’t trailing them, Loki would’ve let his fingers graze Thor’s, but Sif was right behind them and she always had her eyes on Thor. Loki knew that she was hoping to wed him, but he wasn’t sure Thor had figured that out yet.

Rhodey stopped, gesturing to a suite of heavy doors. “These are the rooms for Lady Sif and the Warriors Three.”

Sif glanced at Thor and then bowed shortly to the Unseelie, slipping into her given room to prepare for dinner. The warriors nodded and went to their rooms, leaving the princes and Steve and James.

“Your rooms are there,” Rhodey said to Steve and James, “and your highnesses, yours is next door.”

“How much time do we have until the feast?” Loki asked, one hand resting on Thor’s forearm.

“An hour,” Rhodey said.

Loki bowed and he and Thor went to their room. Thor shut the door and looked around warily, taking in the surprisingly large and airy room.

“This is not what I expected,” Thor said.

“Less dungeon than you thought it would be?” Loki asked dryly, moving around his brother’s bulk to the chairs set before the crackling fire.

“Honestly, yes,” Thor said, sitting across from him. Loki stretched out, staring into the flame. 

“So the queen is our aunt?” Thor finally asked.

“Yes,” Loki said. “I was surprised as well when the king said that the queen spoke fondly of her sister. It is an unexpected development.”

“But as James said, it makes more sense as to why Father would want her back.”

Loki remained silent for a moment. “I do not think we have the right to drag her back, Thor, and I do hope you are not going to try.”

Thor steepled his fingers and looked at his brother over his blunt nails. “Father told me if I could not then I was not worthy of being prince.”

Loki closed his eyes and let out a long breath. Of course Odin gave Thor an ultimatum like that.

“Thor, Father’s whims are not what makes you a prince. You are a prince because Faerie decrees you to be a prince, because the _Goddess_ says you are a prince. We cannot just force Queen Pepper back to the Seelie. For one, it would probably cause another war. The last war is still fresh in many Fae’s memories. I would not be the cause of another war.”

Thor closed his eyes and sighed, his broad shoulders slumping. 

“I do not want to start a war, Loki. Queen Pepper seems happy here. I do not know what to think. I am afraid of Father’s disappointment when we return empty handed.”

“He is not all powerful, no matter what he thinks.”

“He is powerful enough to harm us. To harm you.”

Loki flinched and hunkered down in his chair, rubbing at his thighs. He didn’t like to think of the times he had truly disappointed his father. 

Thor got to his feet and knelt before Loki, resting his head in his brother’s lap. Loki rested his hand on Thor’s head threading his fingers through his golden hair. The weight and heat of Thor’s face on his thigh, of his chest pressed against his shins, made Loki shiver. It was a glorious, forbidden heat.

They could hardly touch in the Seelie court. Their father’s eyes were everywhere and any sign of them touching each other more than Odin deemed appropriate could lead to terrible punishments, most often for Loki.

“I don’t understand why Father treats you like you are lesser,” Thor mumbled, voice muffled by Loki’s leg.

Loki dragged his nails against Thor’s scalp, taking pleasure in the happy little sounds Thor made and how he pressed himself closer to Loki’s legs. 

“I will never be enough in Father’s eyes,” Loki said, his voice nearly lost in the sound of the fire.

“But why? So you are not a warrior, but you are nearly as good at magick as Mother. The Goddess has clearly blessed you there.”

“Father has never approved of magick users. He says we are liars and we use our magick to lie.”

“He is a fool,” Thor said vehemently. Loki chuckled, tugging lightly on one of Thor’s braids. 

“Well, you get it honestly then.”

Thor gave him a reproachful look from his spot on Loki’s lap but then his lips split into a smile. 

“You are right, brother.”

“Of course I am. You’d think after six hundred years you’d realize that by now.”

Thor wrapped one muscular arm around Loki’s legs, his eyes half closed as he coiled himself around his younger brother. 

“I have missed you, brother,” Thor whispered.

“I know,” Loki said, just as soft. “I know.”

:::

Loki expected the feast to be a riot of noise and color, much like Seelie feasts. Seelie feasts usually ended with Sidhe under the table, drunk on the strongest mead the lesser Fae could provide them.

The feast that the king of the Unseelie had set out for them was a stately affair. The food was grand and wonderful, some of the best Loki had ever eaten. Thor talked loudly and happily with two Unseelie guards, the three of them trading stories about battles they had fought in.

Loki and Thor sat in places of honor on either side of the king and queen. Two smaller thrones sat on the dais, set below the king and queen’s thrones, and Loki was surprised they were allowed to sit next to them. Loki sat next to Anthony, while Thor was seated next to Pepper. 

Loki listened intently to the conversations around him. He and Thor were only allowed to stand next to their father’s golden throne for matters of state, and then only rarely. Being allowed to sit next to the king and queen of the court was a wonderful honor and one Loki had every intention of enjoying. 

Various acts of entertainments stepped forward, vying for attention. Loki was fairly certain some of them were trying to rile the Seelie up by being as shocking as possible. He watched as a Sidhe woman with blood red hair danced provocatively around them, weaving in and out of the tables, fingers grazing skin and raising lust and desire in all she touched. No one was able to tear their eyes away from her as she danced, skin marked with scars but pale and beautiful. As she danced, the rest of her clothing fell away, revealing more and more skin until she undulated naked across the floor.

She fell into a bow before the dais, her hair spread around her like a bloodstain. Anthony applauded and the rest of the court followed suit. 

“Lovely, my darling Widow, as always,” Anthony said. The Widow rose to her feet, a smile on her face as she acknowledged the compliment. Thor’s eyes were dark with lust and even Loki could feel her draw. He knew it was part of her glamour but he could acknowledge that she was very good at it.

The Widow smiled and bobbed into a short bow before wandering off to speak to Sif, still naked, and very distracting. Loki wasn’t sure he had ever seen Sif such a delightful shade of red and he was quite amused by it. 

The Demi-Fey, small, doll-sized, with insect and bird wings, flew beautiful patterns in the air, coming to land on the king and making him laugh as butterfly wings of many colors fanned on him.

The performance that most intrigued and terrified Loki was the goblins. He had never seen a goblin in the flesh before; none of them had. Loki had trouble looking at them at first. Many had extra limbs and eyes, their skin was unnatural colors, lumps and bumps seemed to be a measure of beauty between them. They danced and writhed and Loki was pretty sure some of them were fornicating right there on the floor.

Anthony said the goblin king’s name was Fury. His skin was darker than the black marble of the hall and he had only one eye and a rather wicked scar over the remains of his face. He did have an extra arm and a deep voice that made Loki’s chest rattle. 

Fury sat on his throne to the side of the dais that Anthony and Pepper sat on and watched his goblins perform.

There seemed to be different species of goblins, but there was one that drew Loki’s eyes more than any other. They were almost beautiful. They _were_ beautiful. Their skin was as white as Loki’s, but unlike the smooth, pale Sidhe flesh he had, they were covered with scales. Their pupils were slits and their tongues forked. They undulated and moved, dancing on the edges of the hall, fire reflecting off their scales.

Loki felt the desire to join them and it terrified him. He wanted to dance with them, feel his skin glow with magick as they moved together.

He hunkered back in the small throne, dropping his eyes. He couldn’t look at them anymore. The desire to join them was too much.

A gentle hand touched his shoulder and his head jerked up. Anthony’s hand curled over his neck, similar to how Thor so often touched him. 

“What are they?” Loki whispered, voice hoarse.

“Snake goblins,” Anthony said, thumb tracing circles against Loki’s pulse. “Are you well?”

“I do not know,” Loki whispered. “I feel strange. I do not feel right.”

He was a Seelie prince. He should not feel the compulsion to go dance with the goblins. Goblins were hideous, imperfect beasts, and yet…he could barely stand to take his eyes off them.

“Would you prefer to go back to your quarters?”

“Could I?” Loki asked.

“The feast is over. You are all welcome to stay as long as you want. I can take you back to your room.”

“You would escort me back to my room? What about the feast?”

“I do not mind. I have seen all the acts before and many wait for me to leave so they can disperse. Come.”

He stood up and helped Loki to his feet. Loki kept his eyes down as Anthony led him to a secret door in the back of the dais. The door opened before they reached it and they walked through. The hallway was small and narrow, lit sparsely although Loki suspected that Anthony could see in pitch blackness. Loki felt feverish and he shivered, gasping when the king dropped a heavy cloak over his shoulders.

Loki curled his fingers in the cloak and pulled it tighter around him. He nodded his appreciation but did not say anything.

Anthony stopped outside the rooms that Loki shared with Thor. “Here we are,” Anthony said, opening the door for him. He helped Loki in and lowered him to the bed, brushing a hand over his head.

Loki felt a cooling pulse of magick and thought he smelled roses. He blinked, staring up at the king. 

“I am sorry,” Loki whispered.

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Anthony said. His lips tugged into a frown and he seemed to be looking straight through Loki to his very essence. “I know this place can be overwhelming. Rest.”

Loki wasn’t sure he would be able to without Thor’s great heat at his side. Anthony seemed to understand.

“Loki, Odin cannot see into this court.”

Loki’s breath caught in his throat and his eyes widened. 

“The Seelie call him the All-Father and they say he can see everywhere,” Loki whispered.

Anthony waved his hand dismissively. “Unlikely. I have a connection with my Sithen and can be made aware of anything happening within it. Odin has a similar connection. He cannot see into this court, even if he wanted to. He does not own you, Loki, or your brother.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Loki said.

Anthony tilted his head, whiskey eyes glowing with knowledge. “You should not have to hide,” he finally said with a shrug.

Loki nodded. He was a little scared that the king had seen through them so easily. He and Thor had barely touched while they were in his presence. The only time they had was when Thor had given in and rested his head on his lap. Were they so obvious when they looked at each other? 

“Thor is on his way here,” Anthony said. “Remember what I said.”

“How did you know?” Loki called out just as Anthony reached the door. He stopped, hand resting against the thick wood as he turned his head to look at Loki, firelight reflecting in his eyes.

“You look at your brother the way I look at Pepper,” Anthony said softly, “and you shouldn’t have to be afraid to show that love.”

Loki thought there were tears on his face, but he wasn’t sure. He watched as Anthony slipped out of the room, the door closing solidly behind him.

Loki’s hands shook as he went over everything Anthony had told him. There had been no judgement in Anthony’s voice when he’d talked about Loki’s feelings. 

The door opened and Loki looked up as Thor entered, his heart squeezing as it always did at the sight of his golden god of a brother.

Loki held his hand out to Thor, gesturing for him to come closer.

Thor locked the door behind him.

:::

“Are you well, brother?” Thor asked, sitting on the edge of the bed after removing his boots.

“I’m not sure,” Loki said, curled up against the headboard. He watched as Thor moved to sit next to him, the lines of their bodies touching from shoulder to hip. It was comforting and familiar, reminding Loki of long nights spend reading while Thor slept next to him. 

“You looked very pale during the performance,” Thor said slowly. “Was it too much for you?”

“No,” Loki said honestly. “I…I found the performances beautiful.”

Thor hummed, resting his head against the wall. “As did I. Particularly the Widow’s dance, Lady Natasha.”

“The Widow was beautiful…”

“But?”

“But it was the goblins that drew my eye,” Loki admitted, not looking at his brother. He didn’t want to see the judgement and disgust in his face. 

Thor was silent for a moment. “Their performance was intriguing,” he admitted. “But I have a feeling that is not the only thing that is bothering you.”

Loki glanced at him. “I just admitted that I find the most disgusting of the Unseelie intriguing and beautiful. I wanted to join them, Thor. And yet you sit there and accept it like it is nothing?”

Thor shrugged. “You are my brother and I will love you no matter what, Loki.”

Loki closed his eyes. The ease in which Thor said those words to him made him want to cry. Loki reached out, running his hand down Thor’s strong arm. Thor flipped his hand and captured his long pale fingers in between his thicker ones.

“What is bothering you, brother? The truth.”

Loki stared at their joined hands. If they had been in the Seelie court—if they had been home—Thor never would’ve risked touching him. Maybe Thor truly did share his feelings.

“Anthony told me—”

“You are on a first name basis with the king of the Unseelie?” Thor said, eyebrow climbing. 

“Calm yourself. He didn’t want to be called ‘your majesty’ and he was very kind to me.”

“Did he do anything to you?”

“Of course not! The only thing he’s done is make me feel more comfortable here than I do among the Seelie.”

Thor dropped his gaze, letting out a breath. “Forgive me. I meant nothing by it.”

“You are a jealous fool is what you are,” Loki grumbled. Thor’s hand twitched in his grip.

“I am jealous,” Thor admitted, voice barely above a whisper. “I have been jealous for so long and I have been unable to do anything about it.”

Loki turned his head and they stared at each other in the flame lit darkness of the room.

“Anthony told me something else,” Loki whispered, leaning closer to Thor.

“What was that?”

“Odin cannot see into this court. He is blind to us right now.”

Thor’s eyes widened in the dark.

“You believe him?” Thor asked, voice croaking.

“Yes,” Loki whispered.

“May I kiss you?”

“Yes.”

Thor slid his free hand to the back of Loki’s neck and pulled him close. They bumped noses, their soft laughter echoing in the room. Finally, _finally_ their lips touched. It was chaste, gentle, until Loki opened his mouth. 

Thor groaned, tongue dipping into Loki’s mouth. Loki wrapped his fingers in Thor’s cape and dragged him as close as possible. He nipped and sucked at Thor’s lips. His brother tasted of rain and ozone and it was better than Loki’s wildest fantasies. 

“Thor,” he whispered, pulling back just enough to rest their foreheads together. They breathed together, chests heaving as if they had been in battle. Warm air mingled in front of their lips.

“Loki,” Thor said, thunder rumbling in his voice.

They were both shaking as their lips touched again. Thor’s beard scraped against Loki’s pale skin, leaving red trails against his cheek and chin.

Thor’s eyes sparked with lightning, the outer blue of his irises bleeding into white. Loki stared in awe as Thor pulled back, blinking down at him.

“You make the storm rise in me,” Thor whispered.

“Good,” Loki said. “I want to ride the storm.”

Thor lunged forward, crushing their lips together. There was nothing chaste or exploratory about the kiss now. Need fueled their kiss. Fingers fumbled as they worked to divest each other of their formal wear.

Loki was sure it had never taken so long to get naked before, even with his other lovers. It wasn’t as if he and Thor had never seen each other naked. They had bathed together, compared their bodies as they grew. Thor had always been the perfect warrior, broad and large, wide shoulders and narrow waist. Loki was pale where Thor was golden, narrow and lithe where he was broad and muscled, a dancer instead of a warrior.

But they had never been allowed to see each other naked in this context. They had never seen each other naked and been allowed to follow through with their fantasies.

Loki reached out, tentatively running his hand over Thor’s chest. 

“I have dreamed of this for over five hundred years,” Loki whispered.

“You never said anything,” Thor said, tracing circles over Loki’s hips. Loki gave him a dirty look and he pinched Thor’s nipple.

“You know why I couldn’t. You didn’t say anything either, brother.”

Thor moaned at the pinch, a flush spreading across his chest.

“I know,” Thor said. “I wanted to. Goddess I wanted to.”

“Then do something about it now, Stormbringer,” Loki growled, running his hand up to Thor’s hair and tangling his fingers in the gold strands. “You have me here and Father cannot see us.”

“King Stark will not tell?” Thor said. He knew he sounded like a child begging someone not to tell a secret, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

“No,” Loki said. “Anthony will be on our side if it comes to it.”

Thor let out a breath, hot air rushing across Loki’s lips. He hadn’t spent any time with the king alone, but if Loki trusted him, Thor would too.

Their lips met again, all tongue and teeth and desperation. Thor’s weight fell onto Loki, pushing him into the mattress. Loki moaned into Thor’s mouth. He’d waited so long to feel the hard press of Thor’s body against his. He could feel Thor’s thick cock pressing insistently into his thigh, hot and hard and everything Loki had ever wanted.

Loki’s cock was trapped between their bodies, rubbing over Thor’s chiseled abs. Their lips still locked together, Thor rolled them over, staring up at Loki in undisguised awe as he settled down over his thighs.

“You are the most beautiful Sidhe in all the world. Nay, the most beautiful creature in existence. The Goddess and Consort knew what they were doing when they made you.”

“So you can flatter with that tongue of yours.”

“I can do other things with my tongue, brother,” Thor said.

Loki leaned down, his lips grazing Thor’s ear. “Show me.”

Thor pulled Loki up his body, manhandling him into position. Loki’s knees rested on either side of Thor’s face, his cock jutting away from his body, a line of precome dripping onto Thor’s beard. He let out a cry when Thor swallowed him down without warning, fingers digging into his hips.

“Thor!” Loki called to the ceiling, fingers tangling in Thor’s hair and holding on tight. Goddess, he had never dreamed that he’d actually have his brother’s lips on his cock one day. Thor’s tongue ran down the pulsing vein on the underside of Loki’s cock, driving into his slit, running around his tip and back down. 

Loki felt a flash of jealously. Someone else had taught Thor these tricks. His brother had had his lips on someone else’s cock. 

It wasn’t like Loki could really say anything about it. He’d had his own string of lovers over the years. His own mouth and body had touched others’ bodies. He’d been lovers off and on with Steve Rogers and James Barnes for two hundred years. Steve was broad and golden and looked like Thor.

Thor was better, far better than Steve.

Loki thrust forward, driving his cock into the back of Thor’s throat. Thor gagged around the sudden intrusion, eyes watering. Loki pressed his hands against the headboard and rolled his hips, thrusting unrelentingly into the gaping cavern of Thor’s wet mouth. 

“You are mine,” Loki cried, unaware of the tears rolling down his face. “No one else gets to touch you but me.”

Thor pushed him off, pupils blown wide. His lips were swollen and abused, cherry red and slick with spit. 

“If I can’t touch anyone, neither can you,” Thor said, voice rough. “If I’m yours, you are mine.”

“Yes,” Loki said, moving down Thor’s body until he came to Thor’s hard, dripping cock. He lined their lengths up and they both moaned at the touch of silk wrapped steel. Thor’s broad hand wrapped easily around them both and he began to stroke. Loki leaned over and sealed their lips together, their hips moving in perfect sync. 

It was like the Goddess had created them for each other. Never before had Loki felt so complete.

His skin started to glow with magick, pale white light like he’d swallowed the moon. Thor’s own magick rose up to meet him, a golden glow rising up to mingle with Loki’s glow. Lightning danced over his skin, making their hair stand up and tearing a gasp out of Loki’s mouth.

“Thor!” he cried out, back arching at the electric tingle that ran through him. Thor shouted his name to the roof and they rutted together, their cocks gliding against the other, Thor’s calloused hand a perfect counter point to the heat of their rigid lengths. 

“Close, brother!” Thor whispered. Loki licked into his mouth, sucked on his tongue, and silenced both their screams with his lips when Thor drove his thumb into their slits. Loki’s balls were hot and heavy against Thor’s and he could feel them both tighten, their cocks pulsing as Thor wringed an orgasm out of them together.

Loki collapsed on Thor’s chest, their seed sticky and hot between them. Their skin was slick with sweat, still glowing with magick. Thor peppered Loki’s face with kisses as they tried to catch their breath. They laid there, tangled together, cocks still touching but slowly softening.

Thor ran his hand down Loki’s back, soothing him gently.

“You have ruined me for any other,” Thor whispered, staring up into the dark of the ceiling.

Loki rested his head on Thor’s chest, listening to the steady drum beat of his heart. He pulled a thick blanket up over both of them, his hand curling against Thor’s side. 

He shivered, pressing a kiss against Thor’s chest.

Loki knew he was ruined for anyone else as well. He would never be able to love another, not after knowing Thor’s lightning-filled touch.

He closed his eyes, the knowledge that they would have to go back weighing down on them both.

“What have we done?” Loki whispered.

Thor’s arm tightened around him. He had no answer.

:::

The next month passed in a dreamlike haze for Loki. He spent his days with King Anthony or Queen Pepper, learning different magicks than he had been taught in the golden court, given freedom to explore the extensive Unseelie library to his heart’s content. It was far larger than the Seelie library, and Anthony told him that it was the original Faerie library; the Seelie one was only a pale imitation of it.

Loki’s nights belonged to Thor. They did everything in their power to make up for lost time, learning each other’s bodies, discovering what made the other sob out in passion, whimper in pleasure, scream to the Goddess for relief. 

Loki was surprised to discover that Thor didn’t mind taking him. He had always imagined that Thor would never lower himself to opening his body for another man. 

“Only you,” Thor moaned, writhing beneath Loki’s weight.

“What, brother?” 

Thor whimpered at that, large hands fisting the sheets. Loki leaned over him, rolling his hips and driving his cock deep into Thor’s body. “You like that, do you not?”

“Loki,” Thor whispered, voice breathless.

“You like it when I call you ‘brother’ when I’m inside you?” Loki said, his lips grazing Thor’s ear.

“Yes, brother!” Thor cried out as Loki found that spot deep inside him, making stars and lightning spark across his vision.

“I love you, brother,” Loki whispered, his dark hair falling around his face as he pressed urgent kisses to the back of Thor’s skull, tasting sweat and ozone on his skin. 

“I love you!” Thor moaned, hips bucking as he spilled into the sheets beneath him. 

Loki’s hips stuttered and he filled Thor, the lines of their bodies touching, sweat chilling between them.

Loki pressed another kiss to Thor’s head as he pulled out some time later, spreading out next to him. Thor pulled him close, burying his nose in Loki’s hair, their legs tangled together, bodies drying and sticky. 

“We go home tomorrow,” Thor whispered, unwilling to break the peaceful silence of the room but knowing he had no choice.

Loki closed his eyes, tucking his face deeper into Thor’s chest. He didn’t know how to tell Thor that in the short month they had been in the Unseelie court it felt more like home than the summer court ever had. 

“I know,” Loki said, unable to say anything else.

“What are we to do?” 

They both knew what the question meant. Loki gave it due consideration.

“We must be careful. Odin has eyes everywhere and the court is loyal to him. Anthony has taught me some glamour and magicks to hide us from his eyes, but he is unsure of how effective they will be in the Seelie court.”

Thor lifted his head, propping his head on his hand and looking down at his brother. He cocked his head to the side, sweaty blond hair falling over his eyes.

“The king of the Unseelie has taught you magick?” Thor asked, voice filled with wonder.

Loki smiled, nipping at Thor’s finger as he traced the pad of his thumb over his lips. Thor and Anthony got along well enough, though Loki’s brother hadn’t warmed up to him the way Loki had. Thor spent most of his days with the King’s Guard, sparring and learning new techniques. He hardly ever made time for magick or glamour beyond what he could do to call lightning and thunder to him and he never had to work at that.

“Yes, he has. He has been very accommodating to all of us. He has kept the rest of the Seelie from being suspicious of our activities. His warriors have kept even Sif entertained. He has taught me how to manipulate darkness and pull shadows over others’ eyes.”

“Darkness and shadows are his strongest allies,” Thor whispered. “I am surprised he deigned to teach you.”

“He wants to help us, Thor. He says that love should not have to be hidden away in the shadows, but if that is the only way for us to love in the sunshine of the Seelie court, he would tell me some secrets.”

“And was it easy for you?” Thor asked. Loki was surprised that there was no judgement in his voice, only true curiosity.

Loki hummed, tracing runes on Thor’s chest. “It was not necessarily easy,” Loki said. “It was very different from what Mother has taught me, but fascinating and challenging.”

“And it will help us hide from Father?”

“I hope so,” Loki whispered.

Thor kissed him and Loki sighed into his mouth. It was a gentle kiss, heartfelt and a bit sad. Loki didn’t like to think that it felt like a goodbye.

:::

Pepper wrapped Thor in a gentle hug, kissing his cheek. Thor actually blushed, ducking his head and returning her embrace.

“I am glad you are happy, Aunt Pepper,” he whispered in her ear. Pepper’s arms tightened around him.

“Take care of yourselves,” she said, “and be careful.”

“We will,” Thor said, stepping back. He turned to watch Anthony wrap Loki in a tight hug, the Sidhe king’s lips right against his ear. Thor thought he would be jealous, but he could only be thankful that the king cared about them.

Loki’s arms wrapped around the king’s trim waist, holding on tightly. He didn’t want to leave. The Unseelie court felt far more welcoming than the court he had been born in.

“Listen to me, Loki,” Anthony whispered, voice almost urgent. “Are you listening?”

“Yes, Anthony,” Loki said. 

“You will always be welcome here,” Anthony said. Loki went rigid in his embrace, pulling back to look at him. Anthony stared at him intently, his tricolor whiskey eyes serious. “Wherever I am, wherever Pepper is, you have a home. You and Thor. Remember that when the world grows dark, we are here for you.”

Loki swallowed hard. “Is prophecy one of your talents, your majesty?”

Anthony gave him a tight smile. “No, but I am not blind.” He tucked a strand of dark hair behind Loki’s ear, staring up into his green eyes. “Do not let despair overwhelm you.”

Loki nodded, blinking back sudden tears. 

“You have been incredibly kind to me,” Loki whispered, hugging him tightly. 

“If you need me, whisper my name to the dark and I will find you no matter where you are,” Anthony said in his ear. He stepped back and took Pepper’s hand. The rest of the Seelie waited outside the Sithen, holding Thor and Loki’s horses.

“We appreciate your hospitality, your majesties,” Thor said, bowing formally to them as Loki stepped back. He took the reins of his horse from Steve with a nod, swinging easily onto the mare’s back. He let his eyes move from Anthony to Pepper, finally lingering on Thor.

Would he ever be able to touch Thor without worrying that Odin would see? He shoved the thought away, locking it deep inside him where no one would be able to see or hear it. 

“We hope that we will be able to continue working on an amicable relationship between the courts,” Pepper said. Her eyes flicked to Loki and he nodded, brushing his hand over his chest where a letter addressed to Frigga was hidden away.

“As do we,” Thor said, fisting his hand over his heart and bowing to them again. He turned and strode across the field to his war horse, swinging onto his back. He glanced at Loki, their eyes meeting across the sudden chasm between them.

“Let’s go home,” Thor said.

The Seelie turned and rode into the forest, leaving the Unseelie behind them.

Anthony watched them leave, his grip on Pepper’s hand almost painful. Pepper stroked her thumb over the back of his hand, soothing him with touch and a hint of magick.

“I will kill Odin for what he’s done,” Anthony whispered, eyes glued on Loki’s back as the Seelie disappeared into the misty woods.

Pepper lifted one hand and cupped his cheek, turning his head to face her, eyes serious. “I have no doubt, Anthony. But until Loki is made aware of the truth, we can do nothing.”

Anthony sighed and rested his head against his queen’s shoulder. “As ever, my love, you supply me with words of wisdom.”

“Someone has to,” Rhodey said from behind them, making the king and queen laugh.

“Come,” Pepper said, tugging his hand and leading the way back into the Sithen.

Anthony followed her, lost in thought of a young Seelie prince who wasn’t what he seemed.

:::

Loki stepped into the Seelie court and felt those golden chains wrap around his heart once again.

The others fell gratefully back into the Seelie court, glad to be surrounded by white and gold marble instead of black. They chattered happily as they walked to the great hall, the massive doors swinging open before they reached them.

Thor traded one forlorn glance with Loki before kneeling before their father, Loki falling to his knees a second behind him.

“My sons,” Odin said, staring down at them from his one eye. Loki managed to hide his flinch at his father’s voice.

Goddess, he missed Anthony and the Unseelie.

“Father, we have returned from our trip to the Unseelie court,” Thor said. Loki barely restrained himself from rolling his eyes. Thor really could be indescribably thick sometimes.

“I see that,” Odin said, voice dry. “And where is Lady Pepper?”

“Queen Pepper is happy where she is,” Thor said, lifting his head. Loki thought it was rather brave—or foolish—of his brother to make eye contact with Odin in that moment. He saw the flash of anger across Odin’s face and dropped his head, dark hair hiding his face.

“I sent you to retrieve her.”

“She is not an object,” Thor said firmly. “She is a powerful Sidhe and a beloved queen. She and King Anthony showed us the hospitality of their court and offered the hand of friendship.”

Odin’s face worked, shock and anger spreading across it. Loki thought it might very well be the first time that Thor had directly gone against their father.

“She is Seelie and she belongs to me!” Odin barked. Thor met his gaze, lips turned down in a frown.

“She is her own person and is happy where she is. She does not wish to return to the Seelie, and I am not going to force her.”

Odin stood up but Frigga put a hand on his arm.

“Enough, husband,” she said. Loki hid the smirk at the firmness of her voice. Many forgot that Frigga had once been a strong and fierce warrior before she’d been shackled to Odin. “The Fae do not force choices on others, and if she does not want to leave the Unseelie, then she will not leave the Unseelie. She never belonged to you.”

Loki could almost hear his mother’s silent ‘ _and neither do I_ ’ in her tone.

Odin let out a disgusted snort and spun, one hand clenched around his spear. It was a Seelie relic, imbued with power and magick as a gift from the Consort. Odin clung to his spear because in the past couple of years the Seelie relics had started disappearing.

Loki figured the Goddess wasn’t happy with them, but didn’t know for sure. He stayed quiet and still, silently praying that Odin’s gaze didn’t fall on him.

No such luck.

“And you, Loki,” Odin said, his voice laced with some emotion Loki couldn’t place. “What did you think of the Unseelie?” He spat the last, his disgust with the other court clear.

“I found the king and queen to be quite hospitable. They showed us around their court, fed us, cared for us.”

“That does not tell me what you thought of them.”

Loki let out a shuddering breath and lifted his head, meeting his father’s one eye. 

“I found them far more accepting that the Seelie,” he said flatly, ignoring the shocked gasps from the contingent that had gone with them. Thor shot him a panicked look but managed to restrain himself from reaching across the gap to touch Loki’s hand. “And I found the king to be far more level-headed than the one that stands before me.”

“Silence!” Odin cried, pointing his spear at Loki. Loki pursed his lips, glaring at his father.

“I am your king. I raised you in my house, fed you my food—”

“I am well aware of that fact, _Father_ ,” Loki said. The way Odin had framed his words seemed off to Loki. He didn’t understand it but he couldn’t focus on it. “You have lorded those facts over me my entire life.”

And yet he had never heard Odin say the same words to Thor. Thor, his beloved golden son, the perfect Seelie prince. Loki glanced at Thor, taking in the distressed look on his face. Thor had never been able to keep his emotions hidden, least of all from Loki. The long buried resentment of his brother—Goddess, his _lover_ —reared up in him and he let it. 

If he couldn’t have Thor here, then maybe he would just let it fester. 

He’d had one perfect month in his brother’s arms, and now they were back under Odin’s eye. 

Nothing would ever be right again.

:::

Loki stood in his room, staring at the little touches that had made it his over his life. There was a little bone that Thor had found and given to him, resting beside a roughhewn wooden goblet that James Barnes had made him when he had become on-again-off-again lovers with Barnes and Rogers. A small painting of a snake that he had painted ages ago hung above the bookshelves that his mother had helped him create.

His books lined the shelves, no space between them. He could smell the leather and papyrus of them, a smell that had long meant comfort and home.

Nothing had changed in his room. It looked exactly how it had when they had departed for the Unseelie court just over a month ago, and yet everything was different. 

It didn’t feel like home anymore.

Loki let out a string of violent curses and swiped the top of his desk clear, listening to everything hit the floor with a loud clatter. He spread his hands on the desk, hanging his head. His hair fell over his face, obscuring his vision.

He could still taste Thor on his lips and he wanted to scream. 

How could he go through this? How could he live in the same court as his brother and not touch him after their time in the Unseelie court? How could he watch Thor eventually handfast to someone else, most likely have beautiful Sidhe children and one day take the mantle of king from their father?

Loki would be left to the side, watching as Thor moved on.

Alone.

He let out a sound like a wounded animal and his knees buckled. His forehead pressed against the back of his carved chair and he stared at the rug beneath him, tears falling onto it.

“Loki?”

Loki’s head snapped up and he met his mother’s gaze. Frigga stood just inside the doorway of his room, looking at Loki with sad, knowing eyes.

“Mother,” Loki said, getting slowly to his feet. He wiped his eyes and stood there, breathing hard.

“I am glad to see you,” Frigga said, making sure the door was closed behind her.

Loki nodded, wiping his eyes. Frigga swept forward and wrapped her arms around him. Loki bit back a sob and rested his head on his mother’s shoulder. She carefully steered them to the bed and the two sat down.

Loki sniffed and lifted his head, quickly twisting his hands and closing his eyes. He called upon darkness and shadows like Anthony had taught him, darkening the room. Frigga watched impassively, waiting while her son blocked Odin’s sight from the room.

“You have learned much in your short time in the Unseelie court,” Frigga said gently.

“Anthony was a generous teacher,” Loki said, resting his elbows on his knees. He ran his fingers through his hair and then sat up straight, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the letter from Pepper.

“Here,” Loki said, holding it out to her. Frigga took it gently, running her fingers over the heavy parchment. She lifted it to her nose and inhaled gently, closing her eyes and blinking back tears.

Loki knew it smelled like Pepper, like roses and rain.

“You never said your sister was the queen of the Unseelie,” Loki said softly.

“I couldn’t. You know that,” Frigga said, tucking the letter in the folds of her dress. She would read it later in the privacy of her gardens. Odin could not see clearly there when Frigga was present.

Loki nodded, lying back on his bed. 

“She is happy there?” Frigga asked after a moment.

“She is. She loves Anthony. I’ve…”

“What is it, Loki?”

“I’ve never seen love like that in this court,” he whispered. He knew that Odin and Frigga had not married for love. Odin only spoke of their marriage if he was deep in his cups and that was only to say what a catch she was. Frigga never spoke of it.

“There are those who love each other,” Frigga said.

“Mostly lesser Fae,” Loki said, looking up at her. “Of the Sidhe, the only ones who come to mind that are truly in love are Steve and James.”

_And me and Thor…_

He couldn’t say that. He couldn’t tell his mother that he knew every inch of Thor’s body, knew what it was like to see their skin glow in concert as they moved together in the oldest dance in the world. 

“Odin believes that we do not need to love each other to be perfect,” Frigga said, her voice distant. 

“Odin is a fool,” Loki said, surprising a laugh from Frigga’s mouth.

“Oh, Loki. You never did learn to watch your tongue around him.”

Loki shrugged. “He is never going to treat me like he does Thor. I never saw the reason to pander to him.”

“He is your father,” Frigga said. “He loves you as much as he is capable.”

Loki hummed noncommittally. He didn’t want to go against his mother, but he knew better. Odin was incapable of love in any form.

How could a loving Goddess have chosen him to lead the Seelie?

“Tell me truthfully, my son. What did you think of the Unseelie as a whole?”

Loki stayed silent for a moment. The Fae did not lie, although they could twist the truth. If he was outright asked if he loved Thor, he could say ‘yes, of course. Thor is my brother and I love him.’ If he was asked if they were lovers…well, Loki would figure something out.

“At first I found it dark and confusing,” Loki said. “We were led through the halls by the King’s Darkness, James Rhodes, and presented to the King and Queen. The hall was not what father said it was. It was large and darker than ours, but the Fae seemed quite content and happy. The king and queen’s thrones are equal, not like the golden ones here. As I spent more time there, I saw beauty and love and truth in the shadows. I think I found friends there.”

_I found love there…_

Frigga looked resigned and sad. She brushed her fingers through Loki’s black hair and leaned over, kissing his head.

“I am glad,” Frigga said. Loki wasn’t entirely sure what she was glad about, but he didn’t want to ask. He couldn’t bring himself to truly care. 

“I will see you and your brother at dinner tonight. Odin insists on it.”

Loki rolled his eyes. “Then I will see you at dinner, Mother.”

Frigga smiled at him and stood up, walking to the door. She paused and their eyes met. Loki thought she looked sad, a frightening truth in her eyes that he didn’t want to parse out.

He closed his eyes as the door clicked shut, his body aching for Thor.

:::

It took three days for Thor to break. A soft knock at Loki’s door in the dark of the night and Loki opened the door to find Thor standing there, a furtive look on his face.

“Come,” Loki said, standing aside as Thor slipped through the door. He held one hand up when Thor opened his mouth to speak, twisting his hands and calling darkness and shadows to him, darkening the room.

The moment Loki felt the darkness settle, he reached out and pulled Thor close, crushing their lips together in a needy, desperate kiss. Thor moaned, arms winding around his brother and holding him tightly against him.

“Goddess, I have missed you,” Thor whispered, pulling back and resting his forehead against Loki’s. Loki ran his hands up and down Thor’s back, fisting his fingers in the thin fabric of his shirt.

“And I you, brother,” Loki replied.

They stood there for a moment, reveling in their closeness. Loki guided Thor back to the bed, pulling him down onto it. 

They took their time undressing each other, caressing and kissing each patch of revealed skin. Their skin glowed as they joined together, bodies shifting on the bed as Thor pushed in and out of Loki’s body. 

They held each other tightly as they found completion together, the only sound their rapid breathing. 

“How are we to do this?” Thor whispered some time later.

Loki shrugged, running his hand over Thor’s well-defined chest. “We will find a way.”

Could they, though? Loki thought of Anthony’s words, that love should not have to hide in the shadows. Could their love survive in the dark?

He didn’t know. He couldn’t think about it. Not now. He could only focus on Thor’s warm arms around him, the feel of their sweat slicked skin pressed together. 

He could only focus on the moment and not about the future.

Their lovemaking was frantic and messy, whispered cries and sweat slicked skin sliding against each other the only sound. They fell into it, into each other, ignoring the world around them as they found comfort in one another.

Much later, as they lay naked in each other’s arms, Thor’s fingers tangling in Loki’s dark hair, he spoke.

“What are we to do?”

Loki shrugged, his hand curled over Thor’s stomach, fingers following the valleys and peaks of his abdomen. 

“I do not know, brother. We must be careful. Father will destroy us…me…if he finds out.”

“I will not let him harm you.”

“You cannot promise that, Thor,” Loki said. “Father is king, and powerful. We are young in the grand scheme of things and we would fall if we stood against him.”

“We would not stand alone,” Thor said, voice firm. “Our friends would stand with us.”

“Would they?” Loki asked. “According to the Seelie our love is an abomination. We are brothers and should not love one another like this. As I told Mother—”

“You told Mother about us?” Thor asked, half sitting up in shock. 

Loki smacked him across the chest, twisting one of his nipples almost painfully hard. “Of course not, you buffoon. If you would let me finish, you would know.”

“Sorry,” Thor said, lacing his fingers with Loki’s over his chest.

Loki rolled his eyes. “As I told Mother, I do not see love in this court, not the way I saw it in the Unseelie. I have never seen a love such as that of Anthony and Pepper here. Even the love Anthony has for others.”

“What do you mean?”

“He and Pepper share their love and their bed with others,” Loki said. Thor’s eyes widened and he turned to look Loki in the eye.

“But…Father says that is forbidden. Once one is married they must remain true to their partner.”

“I have long thought Father is an idiot,” Loki said with a sniff. 

“I thought Anthony and Pepper love each other.”

“They do, but that doesn’t mean they can’t love others. Anthony loves his people, his court. He is very tactile and demonstrative in that love.”

A low growl escaped Thor’s throat. “Did he demonstrate it with you?”

“You are a jealous fool. He did not.”

“Would you have said no?”

“Would you?” Loki shot back. Anthony was a very attractive man and he knew even Thor had seen it. “Thor, we have both taken other lovers, and we will have to take lovers again.”

“No,” Thor said, sitting up and pulling Loki into his arms. Loki curled around him, pressing a chaste kiss against Thor’s lips. “We swore we would only love each other.”

“And I do love you, although I’m wondering why at this moment,” Loki mumbled. He cupped Thor’s face, staring into his lightning kissed eyes. “Father knows we are both rather promiscuous with our affections. We have both taken multiple lovers. If we suddenly stop, he will become suspicious and turn his eye even more firmly upon us.”

Thor sighed, shoulders slumping as the wisdom of his brother’s words sank in. “You are correct.”

Loki tilted his head and stared at Thor. “You must take lovers. I must take lovers. Now that we are back, nothing can change from how we behaved around each other before. You cannot try to tear Steve or James’ arms off if you see me with them, and I will do my best not to curse Sif any more than usual if I see you with her or any others.”

“It does not feel right, Loki,” Thor whispered, pressing their foreheads together. “It feels like I am betraying you. It’s always felt that way when I lay with another.”

“I know how you feel,” Loki said, bringing his arms around Thor. They sat in a weighted silence, arms tight around each other. Loki let out a soft sigh and kissed the corner of Thor’s mouth. “Just do not call my name in the middle of passion with someone else. The game would be up.”

Thor nodded seriously, big arms tightening around Loki’s trim waist. 

“We will make this work, Loki. I love you far too much to give you up.”

Loki pressed his forehead against Thor’s, keeping silent. 

He wondered what Thor’s decision would be if Odin did find out. Would Thor choose Loki…or the throne?

:::

And so their lives fell into a strange sort of rhythm. Loki learned magick at his mother’s knee, expanding on what he had learned in the Unseelie court. Thor tried to plead a case for the courts to meet, speak about their differences.

Odin refused. The Seelie would not lower themselves to meet the darkness of the nightmare court. 

Loki dreamed of snakes and shadows, of the Unseelie and the goblins. He managed to keep a line of communication open with Anthony and Pepper, unbeknownst to Odin. A month after they had arrived back at the Seelie court, Loki had been shocked to find a black bird in his room. At first he thought it was one of Odin’s ravens, but when he looked closer, it was a hunting falcon and he knew it was from Anthony.

Odin had told them of the time that Anthony had led the Wild Hunt. Loki hadn’t seen that part of the king in their time at court, and he was glad for it. He was well aware that the Hunt was the oldest and wildest parts of Faerie, and the most dangerous. He wasn’t sure he wanted to see it, even if the Unseelie fascinated him. 

The falcon took magickal messages back and forth between Loki and Anthony. They mostly spoke of happenings in the courts. Sometimes Pepper would write a letter for him to pass to Frigga, and Frigga would slip a letter to him at dinner for him to send back. He had never seen his mother as happy as she was during those four years after their mission to the Unseelie court. After hundreds of years, she was finally able to speak with her sister again. 

From what Anthony wrote, Pepper was thrilled to be speaking to her sister again, even if it was only through letters.

Every few months Loki called darkness and shadows to his room and he and Thor made love, desperate to reconnect and hold onto their love even as they took other lovers to their beds. As much as Loki wanted to be with Thor more, he knew that if he clouded Odin’s sight too often he would grow more suspicious. 

Odin’s behavior changed. Paranoia seemed to sink into him and he was convinced that many of the court were plotting to betray him. He seemed to think Loki was leading that contingent and looked at his youngest son with suspicion. Loki tried to be on his best behavior and give Odin no reason to suspect what he and Thor did behind his back.

Four years turned to five and Loki and Thor grew complacent in their affection for one another. They became confident that Odin would never see past the darkness that Loki could call to him.

They should’ve known better.

:::

Loki mouthed his way along Thor’s bare back, tongue and teeth scraping against his sweaty flesh. Thor moaned, writhing underneath him, thighs quaking as Loki pressed into him, his cock moving deep into his brother’s body.

“Loki, Loki!” Thor moaned.

“Have you dreamed of this?” Loki whispered, biting Thor’s earlobe and tugging. “While you were with someone else were you imagining my cock inside you?”

“Yes!” Thor cried, fisting the furs spread under him.

Loki hummed contentedly, rubbing his chest against Thor’s broad back. Goddess, he had missed this. It had only been three weeks since their last rendezvous and yet it felt like it had been centuries. It always felt like that. 

Thor and Loki were too wrapped up in their passion to hear the door burst open. They were too involved in each other to realize another stood in the room.

Loki let out a pained cry when fingers wrapped in his hair, hauling him off and out of his brother’s body. Thor let out a shout of dismay, at first only thinking that Loki was teasing him, pushing him to the edge only to pull back and make him wait for release. 

“What have you done?” Odin roared, his fingers wrapped painfully in Loki’s hair. He wrenched Loki’s head back, dragging his naked and sweaty body across the cold stone floor.

Thor rolled at his father’s voice, horror on his face. “Loki!” he said, surging to his feet.

Odin flung his hand out and Thor found himself blasted back, slamming into the wall and sliding to the floor in a heap.

“Father, stop!” Thor said, getting to his feet.

“Silence!” Odin said, yanking Loki’s head. Loki struggled against his father’s grip, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. He stared at Thor, desperate to get to him.

“You disgusting monster,” Odin said, dragging Loki into the hall. Loki felt Odin’s magick binding him. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t fight. “I never should’ve let you live.”

Loki wanted to deny that it was his own father saying those words to him. He remembered when he had been a child, sitting at Odin’s knee or on his lap, listening to his father’s tales of the Unseelie and how Odin had been chosen to lead the most beautiful and perfect of the Faerie to a new court, one untainted by darkness.

Loki was only aware of the pain radiating from where Odin had a hold of his hair, aware of the stone floor scraping away flesh on his back and butt, nails bloody and broken as he tried to pry Odin’s hand off his hair. 

They had reached the great hall. Odin released him in front of the throne, stomping up to his golden seat and sitting, staring down at Loki.

Loki became aware of the titters and whispers of the court, staring at him. He was folded up on the floor, naked, bruised, and bloody. Thor’s dried seed flaked on his thighs and back. He lifted his head and his eyes met Frigga’s.

He had never seen such a horrified look on her face and he dropped his eyes. He didn’t care if Odin hated him, but he only ever wanted his mother’s love.

The doors banged open and Thor rushed in, wearing only a pair of hastily pulled on pants and nothing else. Loki could see love bites and bruises marking his neck, red lines from Loki’s nails running down his chest and dipping beneath his pants. Sweat dried on his skin and Loki shook, reaching out a hand to his brother.

Thor ran to his side only to be pulled back by Steve Rogers and James Barnes at a gesture from the king. He struggled in their grasp, fighting to get to Loki.

“Father, what are you doing?” Thor demanded, finally going still between Steve and James.

“What I should’ve done centuries ago,” Odin said. “He has corrupted you, touched you in a way I have feared. You will be cleansed, Thor, before you can take the throne.”

“I do not want your throne!”

Loki stared at his brother. “Thor,” he whispered.

“Silence, creature!” Odin bellowed, waving his hand. A gag appeared in Loki’s mouth and he reared back at the touch of metal on his mouth. He screamed into the gag, writhing on the floor as the metal burned him. 

Iron. His father had gagged him with iron. 

Fae could not abide the touch of iron. It burned them, weakened them.

“Stop!” Thor yelled, elbowing Barnes in the sternum and tossing Rogers aside. He ran to Loki’s side, fingers scrambling at the gag. He ignored the burning of the metal on his own flesh as he tried to pull the gag out of Loki’s mouth. 

Another gesture from Odin and Thor went sailing backwards, landing at the far end of the hall in a heap. He struggled to his feet, suddenly surrounded by Seelie guards.

“Get out of my way, Sif,” he said, voice rumbling with thunder.

“We can’t do that, Thor,” Sif said. “King Odin said we must keep you and Loki apart.”

“You must let me go. He will kill Loki.”

“He is king and that is his prerogative. I am sorry, Thor,” Sif said, her voice almost gentle. 

Loki pushed himself up onto his knees, his body shuddering with pain. He blinked at his father, tears in his eyes.

“I hoped I could keep the Unseelie out of you, but I was wrong.”

Loki frowned, wishing he could speak around the gag. What did Odin mean by that? Loki was Seelie. He had been born in the Seelie court.

Hadn’t he?

With a gesture from Odin, the gag fell away. Loki swallowed hard, his throat burning and raspy.

“I am your son,” Loki said, voice barely above a whisper.

“You are no son of mine!” Odin said. “No son of mine would defile his brother that way. No son of mine would force himself on Thor.”

“There was no forcing involved,” Loki said. “What did you mean when you said you could keep the Unseelie out of me?”

“I should’ve killed you when I killed them.”

Loki coughed, staring at the blood on the white marble floor.

“Who?” he asked, dreading the answer.

“The Unseelie filth who birthed you.”

If Loki hadn’t been on his knees already, he would’ve fallen at those words. 

“What?” Loki whispered. His iron bands burned his wrists, his back and butt healed as he knelt, skin knitting back together.

Odin’s words had been quiet. They hadn’t reached Thor’s ears. 

“When I came across them I was horrified,” Odin whispered, his voice pitched for Loki alone. “How could a Sidhe woman willingly lay with a goblin? So, I killed them. She was unclean, tainted by that goblin’s touch. And he had sullied her, spilling his filthy seed into her. It was only after I killed them that I found you, in a basket of woven flowers. I brought you home, to Frigga. She wanted another child. I should’ve killed you when I found you, squalling, hideous creature that you were.”

Loki stared at him, unable to speak. 

He wasn’t Seelie? Frigga wasn’t his mother? Thor wasn’t his brother?

No. No, Odin had to be lying. He was so angry that Loki and Thor were lovers he had created this massive lie. It couldn’t be true. 

Loki looked at Frigga, reaching his bound hands towards her. “Mother…” he whispered.

“She is not your mother!” Odin snarled, standing up. He clutched his spear in his hand, knuckles white with the force of his grip. Frigga frowned at Odin’s back and stepped forward, reaching out to Loki.

Odin back handed her, sending her staggering to the steps. She stared up at him, blue eyes hard with anger. Loki struggled to his feet, his magick fettered by iron. He was weak, but he would not stand for his mother being struck. 

Odin didn’t even look at Frigga as he stood before Loki. He ignored the rest of the court, shocked into silence at the king’s violence against his wife. Thor stood at the back of the throne room, restrained by Steve and James, Sif standing before him with a naked blade in her hand. He hadn’t been able to see what had silenced the court, but he had heard the smack of skin on skin. He struggled in Steve and James’ grip, skin sparking with lightning.

“Do not call lightning to you, Prince Thor,” Sif warned. The Warriors Three stood behind her and Thor could see the iron bands that would bind his magick in their hands. He froze, going limp between Steve and James.

“I exile you,” Odin said, staring down at Loki. “I cast you out. You are not my son and you are no prince of the Seelie court. You are an abomination and should not be allowed to live.”

“Then kill me, you coward,” Loki spat. With another gesture of his hand, Odin gagged Loki again. Loki screamed against the iron gag, collapsing as it burned his lips and tongue.

“No. You will live with what you’ve done. You are cast out, never to set foot inside this court again. You will never see another Seelie in your life. I cast you out.”

Odin brought his hand down and Loki felt like he was sliding sideways. The world blurred around him and magick tore at him. He felt his connection to the Seelie—one borne of his royal status—snap. He thought he heard Thor scream his name and Frigga’s angry shout, and then nothing.

Thor roared when he heard his father’s words. He spun, slamming his elbow into James’ throat and tossing Steve over his shoulder. He crashed into Sif, tearing the blade from her hand. He heard bone snap but didn’t stop. He knocked the Warriors Three down, stepping over their prone bodies as he ran towards his father. He quickly took in the sight of Frigga on the steps of the golden dais, one hand cradling her cheek, the other outstretched to the place Loki had been only moments earlier.

“What have you done?” Thor said, his voice echoing in the white and gold great hall.

“I’ve expelled the filth of the court,” Odin said, staring at Thor. His lip curled as he took in the marks of passion on Thor’s broad chest and neck. “You let him defile you.”

“I love him,” Thor said, standing up tall. His lightning kissed eyes were as hard as Odin’s. He wasn’t backing down at all.

“He has twisted your mind and led you to dangerous paths,” Odin said. “You will forget him. The Lady Sif has waited long enough for you to wed her. It is time for you to get an heir and to start taking steps in becoming the next king of the Seelie.”

“I will not marry Sif,” Thor said, voice shaking. “Where is my brother?”

“You have no brother.”

Thor screamed and lunged forward. Odin brought the spear up and hit Thor in the chest. Thor fell backwards, the blast of magick taking his feet out from under him. The sound of his head cracking against the stone floor echoed around the chamber and Thor’s vision went dark.

:::

Loki was cold. Bitterly cold. His hands and mouth were still bound by iron. He was naked, the winter cold biting into his flesh. He couldn’t think straight, he couldn’t think at all. He had to get out of the gag. He had to find his way to the Unseelie. Anthony would save him. Anthony would tell him the truth.

He staggered against a tree, shivering against the rough bark that scratched at his flesh. He found a large rock hidden under the snow and started hitting his bound wrists against it. He focused entirely on the rock and the echoing clang of iron against stone. Blood leaked from his wrists, the iron digging deeper into his skin with every beat against the rock. Finally, the hinge weakened and broke. He wriggled his blood slicked wrists and managed to pull one of them free.

His fingers were blue under the blood, the cold making him fumble as he finally got the other band off his wrist. His fingers scraped at his face as he finally found the clasp on the gag. It fell into his naked lap and he threw it aside, taking great, gulping breaths of the icy air.

It was dark, ice running through his heart. He curled up under the tree, arms wrapped tight around his knees. He wouldn’t survive the night, he knew that.

It was dark, and Anthony’s words came back to him.

_If you need me, whisper my name to the dark and I will find you no matter where you are._

“Anthony,” Loki whispered, reaching a hand out to the darkness. “Anthony. Anthony. Anthony.” The words changed without him knowing it, another name on his lips in the dark.

“Thor, Thor, Thor, Thor.”

_I love you. I’m sorry, my brother…_

He thought he heard a strange, chittering laughter in the dark, and then he knew nothing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth will out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part two. Not much to say. Odin is a raging dick.

Loki was warm, heavy furs covering his body. He could hear the crackling of a fire and soft voices that he couldn’t distinguish. His body hurt everywhere and he was colder than he’d ever been in his life.

He didn’t know where he was. He lay completely still, breathing shallowly. What if Odin or his warriors had captured him? What if they had rescued him only to torture him?

He couldn’t stop the terrified whine that escaped his throat.

“He’s waking,” a woman’s voice said. His mother?

He felt a gentle hand on his head, brushing back matted hair.

“Loki? Can you hear me?” A man’s voice. Familiar, but he couldn’t place it.

“Thor?”

“I’m not Thor,” the man said. “I am sorry. Can you open your eyes? The lights are low.”

Loki opened his eyes slowly, fear leeching into his body. The room was dim, light from a lantern next to the bed throwing shadows on the wall. He could hear a fire crackling but didn’t turn his head to try and find it. 

He focused on the man sitting next to him and he let out a relieved sob.

“Anthony,” he whispered, reaching a pale hand for the king. Anthony took his hand in both of his, his honeyed skin dark against Loki’s snow pale fingers. Anthony’s hands were warm and calloused, holding his firmly. “You found me.”

“Of course I did,” Anthony said, squeezing his hand again. “You called for me. I thought you were dead when I found you.”

“I nearly was,” Loki whispered, head falling back onto the pillows. The bed dipped and Loki turned his head to see Pepper sit next to him. She held a goblet in her hand. 

“Do you think you can drink?” she asked.

Loki nodded and tried to sit up, groaning as pain lanced through his abdomen. Anthony gently helped him sit, reclining against the mass of pillows behind him. Pepper held the goblet to his lips and Loki drank deeply, groaning at the taste of honeyed mead. He felt warmth spread through him and knew that Pepper had used magick on the drink as well.

He looked at Anthony. The king’s dark hair was down, hanging around his shoulders. His beard was scruffier than Loki remembered and his tricolored whiskey eyes almost seemed to glow with power.

“Can you tell me what happened?” Anthony asked, tucking a strand of Loki’s hair behind his ear.

Loki closed his eyes and he felt Anthony’s hand on his shoulder, offering him strength.

“Thor and I grew careless,” Loki said hoarsely. “I forgot to call shadows to me. Odin…”

He opened his eyes and nearly drew back at the anger visible on Anthony’s face. Anthony took a deep breath and smoothed out his face, wiping away the rage that had been there only moments early. 

“He caught you,” Anthony whispered. Loki nodded, blinking back tears. He started to shake. Could he tell Anthony and Pepper the rest?

“He dragged me naked to the throne room,” Loki said, his voice flat. He stared at the wall, not really seeing anything at all. “He bound and gagged me with iron and exiled me. Thor had to be restrained by his best warriors. He _hit_ Moth—”

He stopped talking, swallowing the word ‘mother’ before it could fully escape.

“He told me…he told me that…” Loki trembled. “He told me that he should’ve killed me when he killed the filth that birthed me. The _Unseelie_ filth that birthed me.”

“A thousand curses upon Odin,” Anthony growled. Loki looked up at him, breathing hard.

“Did you know?” he whispered. “Did you know when we met?”

Anthony let out a long breath and Loki became aware of Pepper gently brushing out his hair. He sighed, relaxing into her ministrations.

“Anthony, please. Tell me,” Loki said.

“I did not know for certain, but I suspected. You didn’t…feel the same as the rest of the Seelie.”

Loki was silent, staring at Anthony in a quiet stillness. Anthony cupped his cheek, his thumb tracing a fading bruise on Loki’s jaw. 

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Loki whispered, his voice cracking.

Anthony leaned forward and pressed his lips against Loki’s forehead. “I wanted to,” he said. “I wanted to offer you a place at my side and keep you from Odin’s harm, but you had just discovered you could act in your love for Thor in my Sithen. I did not want to destroy the happiness you had found. I am sorry, Loki. I should not have let sentiment blind me.”

Loki’s head came to rest on Anthony’s shoulder. “No. No, you’re right. I would have resented you for taking away what little time I got with Thor. I got five years with him.”

“You deserve a lifetime with him,” Anthony said. 

Loki couldn’t hold back the quiet sob at that. He would never see Thor again. Thor was lost to him, gone forever locked behind white and gold marble. Strong arms wrapped around him and he found himself crying against Anthony’s chest, clinging to his shirt and shaking in the circle of his arms. He felt Pepper’s hands against his back, soothing whispers and the warmth of her magick curling against him. 

He wasn’t sure how long he was held by the king and queen of the Unseelie court. They never seemed to judge him as he broke down, sobbing for everything he’d lost.

He finally pulled back and Pepper offered him a handkerchief. He wiped his eyes and nose, twisting the cloth between his fingers.

“Who…who were my parents?”

Anthony kept one arm around Loki’s body, holding him close. “Your mother was named Na’l, an Unseelie noblewoman. You look somewhat like her; your eyes, your hair.”

“And my father? Od—the king of the Seelie—implied he was not Sidhe.”

“He wasn’t,” Anthony said, voice careful like he wasn’t sure how Loki would take hearing the truth of his heritage.

“Tell me.”

“Your father was King Laufey of the snake goblins,” Anthony said.

Loki stared at him, green eyes wide. “I thought…I thought Sidhe did not willingly lay with goblins.”

“The Seelie would like you to believe that Sidhe only ever sleep with other Sidhe,” Anthony said. “But you are right, not many Sidhe willingly sleep with goblins. Peter is half goblin, half Sidhe, but he was the product of rape in the last war. Your mother, however…Na’l and Laufey did love each other. I led the handfasting ceremony myself. They were so happy when Na’l became pregnant with you.”

Loki licked his lips. “Did…do you know what they named me?”

Anthony shook his head. “I am sorry. You were born the day before Odin…” he drifted off. “I saw you only once, in Na’l’s arms. You were a beautiful baby. They took you outside the Sithen for your naming ceremony, but that is a goblin tradition. Na’l was the only Sidhe welcome there. It was to be a grand celebration, but first Laufey and Na’l were going to have a private one just for them, and you. It was the goblin Fury, now king, that ran to me hours later. Laufey and Na’l had been brutally murdered and you were nowhere to be found. There was no sign of the attacker, no sign of you. We searched for you for years. I never made the connection between Na’l and Laufey’s death and the news that Odin had a second child. I should have.”

Loki shook his head, thinking over Anthony’s words. His father had been a snake goblin? And his mother a Sidhe noblewoman who had loved a goblin?

Would Thor love him if he knew the truth?

Loki sat up straight. “Is this what I truly look like? Odin said I was a hideous creature. It must be true, if my father was a goblin.”

Anthony and Pepper traded glances.

“Tell me!”

“There is a glamour wrapped around you, a clever one,” Pepper said, her fingers twisted in Loki’s hair. “It is so deep and so well done that we almost did not notice. No one would if they didn’t know what to look for. Many would assume it was part of your magick.”

“He put a glamour on me,” Loki whispered, staring at his hands. He lifted his eyes, meeting Pepper’s in the dim light of the room.

“Take it off,” he said. “I have to know. I have to know what I really am.”

Anthony gently grasped Loki’s chin, forcing the younger Sidhe to meet his eyes. “You are Loki. You are not a what. You are my friend. We can remove the glamour if you truly wish, but it will not change who you are to me, to us.”

Loki swallowed. It probably would change how Thor saw him, assuming he ever saw Thor again.

“Please,” Loki whispered. Anthony nodded and pressed his lips against Loki’s forehead. 

“Lay back,” Pepper said, gently pushing Loki back against the pillows. She moved to kneel next to him and Anthony moved back, Loki’s eyes following him.

“This is Pepper’s forte, not mine. I could take the glamour from you, but it would be horribly painful. You have been hurt enough, Loki. Pepper is blessed by the Goddess when it comes to working magick and glamour.”

Loki nodded and tried to relax. He could feel Pepper’s magick pushing at him, caressing his sides, looking for a weakness in the glamour he’d worn his entire life.

He felt it when she found what she was looking for, his body arching off the bed and a gasp torn from his throat.

“Did I hurt you?” she whispered, her hand resting on the center of his chest.

He shook his head. “No, please continue.”

Pepper caressed his stomach gently and went back to her task. Anthony watched, quiet and intense.

“Aha,” Pepper said, curling her hand over Loki’s navel. He could feel her magick twisting around, plunging against him. His cock twitched at the sensation and he clenched his eyes shut.

“Shhh, almost there,” Pepper whispered. Loki could nearly taste the magick boiling in the room.

“Anthony, I need your assistance,” Pepper said. He reached out and rested his hand on her shoulder and Loki nearly cried out at the immense power that flooded the room. Anthony let Pepper take his inherent power and guide it to her need, giving into her control. Loki had never seen anything like the two working in tandem to free him of six hundred years of lies.

He could feel it as Pepper began to peel the glamour off him. It felt like something sticky and clinging being dragged off him and he shuddered, nearly gagging at the sensation. It was slow going, Pepper carefully peeling the invisible spell off his body. She was silent, Anthony’s hand on her shoulder as he offered her strength. 

Loki didn’t know how long they’d been there when he felt the last of the glamour snap. He gasped, staring at the writhing mass of magick in Pepper’s hands. It was pulsing and dark, full of malignant power.

“That was _on_ me?” Loki gasped, pushing himself up to see.

“Yes,” Pepper said, voice filled with distaste.

Anthony reached out and took it the mass of magick from her. Loki felt a surge of power and a chill spread through the room. He watched as the writhing ball in Anthony’s hands seemed to try to get away, reaching back towards Loki. 

Anthony said something in a language Loki didn’t recognize and the ball of magick withered and died, dissipating into the air. Loki had never seen anything like it. 

Anthony lifted his head and met Loki’s eyes. He stepped closer, brushing his fingers over Loki’s temple.

“Oh, Loki,” he whispered. “You’re beautiful.”

Loki frowned at him and lifted his hand, eyes dropping to his fingers. He froze, eyes widening.

There was a spattering of scales on the back of his hands. He lifted them, ignoring the way they trembled. Scales? He had scales? He touched his face, fingers recoiling when he felt smooth scales at his temple and running down his ears, down his neck. He looked at his stomach and didn’t see any there, but he had to know.

“Show me,” he said, trying to get to his feet. Pepper and Anthony helped him up, moving to a full length mirror near the bed. Loki was completely naked. He had healing iron burns on his wrists and lips from the metal he’d been bound with, but he almost didn’t see them. He could only stare at the scales. 

Iridescent scales ran down his face, from his temples back along his hairline, over his ears, and growing larger as they flowed down his neck. He had smaller scales around his fingers and he could see similar ones on his toes. He slowly turned, looking over his shoulder at his back. Scales ran down his spine, glittering the low light of the fire. They flowed from under his hair down his back, in between his butt cheeks, and spreading down his thighs.

“You’re beautiful,” Anthony said again, his voice making Loki lift his eyes to meet his.

“I…”

“Beautiful,” Pepper agreed, letting her eyes run over Loki’s body. Loki looked back at the mirror.

He didn’t think he looked terrible. He honestly didn’t look that much different than he always had. He still had moon pale skin, tricolor green eyes, black hair that hung over his shoulders. He just had… _more_ now.

Without the glamour that had been on him his entire life he felt light, he felt free. He touched the scales at his temple, tracing them slowly.

“I am Unseelie,” he whispered, meeting his eyes in the mirror. 

“Yes, you are,” Anthony said, coming to stand next to him. Loki was once again surprised at how much shorter than him the king was, the top of Anthony’s head coming just above Loki’s shoulder. Anthony ran his hand up Loki’s back, the scales surprisingly sensitive to the touch. “I welcome you to my court, Loki Laufeyson. Welcome to the Unseelie, to the shadows, to the darkness. You will never be turned away, you will always be welcome among us.”

Loki stared at him, mouth hanging open. He reached out and Anthony pulled him to him, wrapping him in a tight hug. Loki clung to him, not stopping the slow tears that rolled down his face. 

He knew he would never see Thor again, and his heart ached for it. He would have to move on, he would have to learn to live without his laughing, golden, brother. 

Pepper rested her hand on Loki’s back, supporting him between them. Her sentient red cloak wrapped around all three of them, offering them warmth. 

“Welcome home,” Anthony whispered in his ear.

:::

Loki stayed in the king’s chambers as he healed. He found himself horribly tired, sleeping much of the time. Pepper often helped him to sleep dreamlessly, using magick to send him to sleep. If he slept on his own, he dreamt of Thor and he woke up with his heart broken anew every time.

He had faint scars around his wrists from the iron, but the ones around his mouth healed. He hated the scars, but he wouldn’t let Pepper get rid of them. 

He didn’t want to forget what the man he had called Father had done to him.

The Unseelie accepted Loki without thought. No one seemed perturbed by his appearance. He spent his days in the library or learning new magick, quietly thanking the Goddess that he was alive and free of Odin and his lies. 

Anthony introduced him to the goblins, particularly the snake goblins. He wasn’t sure what to think of them. The goblins were far more violent than the Sidhe, or at least they showed it more easily and didn’t hide behind courtly intrigue like the Sidhe did. He got on well enough with them, though the goblins were jealous of his ability to wield magick. Apparently goblins could not use magick and it was a sore spot for the creatures, particularly since it was the Sidhe ability to use magick that had led to them winning the goblin wars.

Loki’s nights were lonely once he moved from the king’s chamber. He was given a well-appointed room just down the hall from Anthony and Pepper’s, but he was alone. He missed Thor. He wanted to reach out to him and had even asked Anthony if he could use one of the tricks they had used to communicate to contact Thor, but the Seelie Sithen was closed off. Anthony’s power could not penetrate the Seelie Sithen.

He worried about Thor. Had Odin hurt him? Did he miss Loki, or had he already moved on?

Another night of restless tossing and turning, thinking of Thor, missing Thor, and Loki couldn’t take it anymore. He tossed the furs off his bed and pulled a dressing gown on. He would walk the halls for a while, or maybe go to the forest deep in the Sithen. He walked down the dark halls, fingers trailing over the cold stone.

He soon found himself deep in the forest, walking slowly through the trees. He enjoyed being out in the forest. He came to a halt near the still lake, staring out over the water. He sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

Nearly a year had passed since Odin had discovered him and Thor together and he knew nothing of what had happened to his brother. He shook the thought away. No, Thor wasn’t his brother, Odin had made that very clear.

Even though it had been easy for him to accept Odin was not his family, it was harder to let go of Thor, of Frigga.

It didn’t matter if Thor was his blood brother or not. They had been raised as brothers and Loki loved him. He missed him like a constant ache, like a part of him was missing.

Did Thor feel the same?

He heard footsteps behind him and froze, listening intently.

“Out here again, Loki?” Anthony’s voice came from behind him. Loki let out a relieved sigh. Even though the Unseelie had welcomed him with open arms, there were parts of the court that still terrified him.

“I find it peaceful,” Loki said.

Anthony hummed, moving to stand next to him. The two Sidhe stood in silence, looking out over the lake.

“You are lonely,” Anthony said.

Loki nodded. “I miss Thor. And my mother. Frigga, I mean.”

“Just because Frigga did not give birth to you doesn’t mean she’s not your mother. She loves you as a son, that much we know.”

Loki was so glad that Anthony just seemed to understand him. He reached out and took the king’s hand, his pale fingers white against Anthony’s honeyed skin. Anthony squeezed his hand gently, lifting it and brushing a kiss over his knuckles. 

Loki’s breath caught in his throat. Anthony was casual with his affection and Loki knew that the king would bed him if he asked. 

He opened his mouth and Anthony went on his toes, brushing his lips over Loki’s. Loki gasped into the kiss, opening his mouth wider. Anthony licked into his mouth, one hand braced on Loki’s chest. 

The kiss was wonderful, it was perfect.

It wasn’t Thor.

Loki loved Thor. He would always love that big oaf, but he would never have him again. He needed to move on.

Loki ran his fingers through Anthony’s hair, tilting his head back and deepening the kiss. Anthony moaned, letting Loki lead. Loki whined as the king pulled back and Anthony chuckled, running his fingers over Loki’s arms.

“What do you want, Loki?”

“I want to forget,” Loki said. “I want to feel something other than heartache. I want to feel beautiful.”

Anthony framed Loki’s face with his hands, fingers tracing the scales at Loki’s temples. “You _are_ beautiful,” Anthony said forcefully. “You are one of the most beautiful creatures I have ever seen in my long life.”

Loki swallowed, green eyes meeting brown. “Prove it.”

Anthony yanked him down and crushed their lips together. Loki let him control the kiss, moaning as he found himself lowered gently to the ground, the fur cloak around Anthony’s shoulders spread out on the ground to keep the cold from leeching into Loki’s body.

Anthony pressed gentle kisses against Loki’s scales, his tongue tracing the smooth, cool flesh. Loki trembled, fingers tangled in dark hair. 

“The queen will not mind you doing this?” Loki gasped out, arching into Anthony’s mouth as the smaller Sidhe pulled a nipple into his mouth.

Anthony shook his head, pulling off to look Loki in the eye. “I love Pepper with everything I am and she loves me, but we both often find joy in others’ arms.”

Loki knew that, of course, but he had needed to hear it. He nodded, eyes falling shut as Anthony started licking at his sternum, moving down lower to kiss at his stomach. Loki couldn’t remember when his dressing gown had fallen open, baring his skin to the Unseelie king.

He keened when Anthony took his cock in his mouth, head bobbing as he worked Loki to full hardness. Anthony kept caressing his sides, his arms, his hips, always touching him, stroking his scales and making him feel beautiful. 

Loki moaned, rocking into Anthony’s mouth. He felt a finger rubbing at his entrance, gentle, questing, not putting enough pressure on him to breach his body but enough for Loki to feel it. He pressed back against that finger, thrusting up into the king’s hot mouth and down onto his finger.

“What do you want, Lokes?” Anthony said, voice hoarse.

“Please, please, my king, I want you inside me!” Loki cried to the sky. Anthony kissed his hip and reached into a deep pocket of his discarded robe, pulling out a vial of oil.

“On your stomach,” Anthony said, kissing Loki’s hip. Loki rolled over and Anthony hummed in appreciation at the sight of the fall of iridescent scales running down Loki’s spine. “Beautiful,” Anthony said, bending over and kissing his way down the spread of scales. 

Loki gasped as warm oil dripped onto his hole and a thick finger probed him. Anthony dragged his lips over Loki’s shoulder, teeth grazing soft skin and smooth scales. He felt another finger slide into him, spreading him wider. He hadn’t been with anyone since that last horrid night with Thor. He wanted to forget.

Anthony’s breath was warm against his ear, panting his name as he pressed his cock against Loki’s hole. Loki moaned, shuddering as his body accepted the king’s. 

“You feel amazing,” Anthony whispered. “You are so beautiful, Loki. Goddess, so beautiful.”

They moved together, their skin starting to glow as magick rose up in them. Loki half sobbed Anthony’s name as he came, soiling the cloak beneath him. Anthony grunted, Loki’s name falling from his lips as he spilled into Loki’s body.

They lay there, tangled together under the Unseelie Sithen sky. Loki drifted in and out of a light sleep, Anthony’s fingers carding lightly through his hair.

He thought Anthony whispered promises of vengeance in his ear, but he wasn’t sure if he was imagining it. 

He hoped he wasn’t.

:::

He found himself falling into bed with the king a couple times a month. Once or twice the queen even joined them and Loki had never felt so utterly worshipped as he had between them.

The Unseelie were radically different from the Seelie. Where the Seelie had proclaimed that only perfection could reach the Goddess, Anthony said that anyone could reach Her. Loki had spoken to the Goddess often as a child, though as he’d aged he had stopped reaching out as often. 

He was surprised to realize how often Anthony spoke to Her. The king was truly Goddess-touched and it spread through his court. 

One night, long after Anthony and Pepper had fallen asleep beside him, Loki stared at the ceiling. 

“Goddess,” he whispered. “It has been a long time since I have reached out. I…I miss Thor. Watch over him, and Frigga, my mother. Please…do not let them fall for Odin’s lies. Let Thor know I will always love him, but most of all keep him safe. I know the Fae do not say thank you…but I will say it to you, Goddess. Thank you. Thank you for sending Anthony to me, to save me. Thank you for giving me a home.”

He ran his fingers through Pepper’s flame red hair, Anthony’s breathing even against his back.

“Keep those I love safe. So mote it be.”

The soft scent of roses filled the room and Loki smiled, slipping into a dreamless sleep.

:::

Thor’s shoulders burned. His eye was swollen shut and he wasn’t sure he would ever be able to see out of it again. Cold iron scalded his wrists, his skin burning beneath the cruel metal. His knees rested on hard stone and his back bled.

He was naked, as he had been for the past year. He shuddered, trying to fall back into that mental place where he felt nothing.

He hated his father. If he could get out of the iron, he would hunt the Sidhe down and tear him apart with his bare hands. After Loki had been exiled, Thor had tried to follow. He wanted nothing to do with a court that would turn someone away for love. 

Odin refused to let him.

“You are my heir and will be king. You must forget that monster.”

Thor couldn’t. Thor refused to forget him.

“I love him. He is everything to me.”

“He has corrupted your mind.”

“He has done nothing to me. I will not stay.”

Thor had tried to leave, and Odin hadn’t let him. His own father had attacked, driving Thor to his knees. Thor had been taken by surprise and Odin had nearly killed him. It took a lot to kill a Sidhe, and his own father had nearly done it.

Only Frigga’s screaming had stopped him, her face still bruised from Odin’s backhanded strike. 

When Odin had hit him, he thought he felt his eye burst. He had a scar over his eye. The eye had healed, he thought, but the skin was still inflamed, swollen shut even after so long.

Thor was weak. He had been chained and taken to a cell. Then he had been left there.

No one came to see him. He had no idea what was happening in the court. He had lost weight, his muscles wasting away to nothing. Sidhe could not starve to death, but hunger had weakened him.

He prayed for death to take him, but his prayers were ignored.

Sometimes he thought he heard Loki’s voice saying his name, whispering to him to stay strong, but whenever he opened his eyes he was still alone. He was locked in a cell, wasting away.

His father had shorn his hair from his head. It had started to grow back, but Thor was so weak it was still short. Sidhe prided themselves on their beautiful hair, and Thor’s was gone.

He was worth nothing.

Goddess, would Loki even love him after this? Was Loki still alive or had being exiled killed him? He prayed that the king of the Unseelie had found him, taken him in. If he was lucky, Loki was a treasured member of the nightmare court.

Thor couldn’t help the dry chuckle that escaped him. The nightmare court. No, it was the Seelie court that was the nightmare court, not the Unseelie. 

He prayed that Anthony would find him. He would swear allegiance to any king but Odin. He would let himself fall upon Unseelie mercies and if he was really lucky, they would kill him.

The door, locked for so long, creaked open. Thor let out a pitiful cry at the blinding light that burned his eye. He had been in the dark for so long he had forgotten what light was like. 

“Close the door,” a familiar voice said. The door shut and Thor felt hands on his body, undoing the hated iron chains. He fell to the floor, limp and weak.

“Goddess, he looks terrible. Thor, can you hear me?” Thor blinked his good eye and Steve Rogers’ concerned face floated in front of him. Bucky knelt next to him, one hand on Thor’s emaciated shoulder.

“I hear you,” Thor slurred, or he tried to. 

“Here, drink,” Bucky said, pulling a wineskin off his belt and tipping it back. Thor swallowed greedily, his stomach screaming in need and pain as the water hit his long empty belly. “Slow, Thor.”

“We have to move fast,” Steve whispered, taking off his cloak and wrapping it around Thor’s shoulders. He easily lifted Thor into his arms and Thor groaned, head resting on Steve’s shoulders.

“You will be punished for this,” Thor whispered.

“Odin is distracted at the moment,” Bucky said shortly. “We have to get you out of here.”

Thor didn’t reply, half floating in that strange in between mental place where nothing mattered. He was vaguely aware of Steve covering his face and the way the world spun as Steve sprinted through the halls of the Sithen, Bucky just ahead of them.

They were outside and Thor nearly cried at the scent of fresh air. He had been wallowing in his shit and piss, long dried and rotten, for so long that the fresh air tasted like ambrosia.

“Oh, my son,” Frigga whispered, stepping out the shadows of a large tree. She cupped Thor’s near skeletal face and cried, crystalline tears rolling down her face. “Forgive me. I should not have let him do this to you.”

“Mother,” Thor whispered, leaning into her touch. “Loki?”

“He is with the Unseelie, that is all I know. Odin has locked down the Sithen. I worked with the lesser Fae to distract him long enough for Steve and Bucky to get you out of the cell.”

“He will not be happy,” Thor whispered.

“No, but I was not going to let one son to rot after he exiled the other.”

“I love Loki,” Thor said, his head rolling on Steve’s shoulder. “I love him as no brother should.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Bucky said gruffly, quickly saddling one of the white Seelie chargers. The horse stood still, ears flicking back and forth. “You love him, he loves you. The Goddess is a loving Goddess and if she hasn’t struck you down for loving each other, Odin shouldn’t get to either.”

“Why are you doing this?” Thor asked, groaning as Steve lifted him onto the saddle. Thor clung to the horse’s mane, staring at his skeletal fingers. 

“Because you are my son and I love you,” Frigga said. “Because Loki is my son and I stood by and did nothing while he was exiled. I could not do the same for you. The horse will carry you to the edge of the Unseelie Sithen. Once you are there, whisper the king’s name. He will hear you and he will come.”

“How do you know?”

“He is the King of the Blood and Darkness. He was once worshipped as a death deity. He will hear his name whispered in the dark.”

“Mother….”

“Shh, Thor. I love you. Tell Loki I love him still, and no matter what Odin says, he is my son. You have to go. The distraction will not last much longer.”

“Come with me,” Thor said, reaching out a shaking hand. “All of you. Odin will kill you.”

“Odin will never know it was us,” Steve said. “And we can’t, you know that.”

He did. They were too Seelie to leave.

“We managed to get some of Loki’s things before Odin destroyed his room,” Bucky said. “They’re in the saddle bag. Tell him we’re sorry for not standing up for him. We should’ve.”

Thor nodded, overwhelmed and weak. 

“Go, my son,” Frigga whispered. “Try to let us know you are safe.”

She stepped back and Thor reached for her again. 

“Go!” Frigga yelled, slapping the horse on the rump. Thor let out a shout as the horse sprang forward, muscles bunching as it ran through the woods. 

He tried to watch his mother and friends as they grew smaller in the distance, but the trees hid them quickly from view.

:::

Frigga watched her son disappear, standing between Steve and Bucky.

“The next time we see them we will be standing on opposite sides of war,” she whispered.

It sounded like prophecy.

Steve and Bucky traded concerned looks.

“Is war coming, my queen?” Steve asked.

Frigga didn’t look at either of them. 

“How could it not?”

:::

Thor stayed on his horse through sheer force of will. He hurt everywhere, but he knew he had to stay on. He closed his eyes, trusting the horse to carry him away from the horrors of the Seelie court.

He didn’t know how long he had ridden or how far they had come when he just couldn’t hold on anymore. He slipped from the horse, slamming into the ground. He thought he heard his arm break, but the pain was a small thing compared to what he had endured for the past year.

He wasn’t sure if it was dark or if he just couldn’t see anymore, but he couldn’t wait anymore. 

“Anthony,” he whispered, voice broken. “Please…Anthony…Goddess…Loki…”

He fell into the embrace of darkness and didn’t move, a silent, emaciated body in the forest.

:::

Loki sat with Pepper, playing a strategy game using magick and skill. Anthony lounged nearby, his head on his closest bodyguard’s lap. Rhodey ran his fingers through Anthony’s long hair, engaged in conversation with Pepper and Loki.

Anthony went rigid, his eyes flying open. He sat up, eyes focused on something none of them could see.

“Anthony?” Pepper asked. “What is it?”

“Someone is calling for me,” Anthony murmured, getting to his feet. Loki stared as the room seemed to grow darker, shadows reaching for the king. He let out a strangled gasp when Anthony disappeared in the darkness, there one moment and gone the next.

“What just happened?” Loki gasped.

“Shadow walking,” Pepper said. “He can walk anywhere that darkness reigns. How do you think he got to you?”

Loki swallowed, staring around the empty room.

“They call Odin the King of Light, but he was never capable of doing that,” Loki whispered. 

“Being able to walk between realms is a very rare ability,” Pepper said, resting her hand on Loki’s arm. “I am only aware of two who are capable; Anthony and James Rhodes.”

Loki’s eyes flicked to Rhodey and the Sidhe smiled, his teeth a knife flashing in the dark. “There’s a reason they call me The King’s Darkness, Loki.”

Loki dropped his eyes. He knew that James Rhodes was nearly as old as the king, and that Anthony didn’t know his true age. Anthony had given him the nickname Rhodey so long ago that the man rarely responded to anything else. 

The Sithen seemed to shudder and Pepper grabbed Loki’s arm, her eyes wide.

“What was that?” Loki asked, grasping her hand.

“Anthony is angry,” Rhodey whispered, head tilted to the side. The room darkened again and Rhodey was gone, shadow walking after his king.

“Come,” Pepper said, her voice urgent. “Anthony is calling for us.”

She grabbed a leather satchel that Loki knew held healing herbs and potions. Pepper was gifted at healing magicks, but he knew that the very worst of cases would need a helping hand.

She didn’t let go of his hand as she half dragged him through the corridors. He saw Unseelie cowering in the dark and he could feel a strange pressure pushing down on them.

“What am I feeling?”

“Anthony’s anger,” Pepper said. “I do not know what we will find when we reach him.”

“How am I feeling his anger?”

“The Sithen is intimately tied to the king,” Pepper said, her voice terse. “It reflects his emotions when they are this intense. He was nearly this angry when he found you.”

Loki fell silent as they passed the writhing mass of blood red roses, wondering what could have happened to enrage a being as old as the king of the Unseelie.

They reached the Unseelie forest that resided deep within in the Sithen and Pepper pulled him towards the lake.

Anthony knelt on the small island in the center of the dark lake and Loki could see something—no, _someone_ —in his arms. Rhodey crouched next to them, one hand on Anthony’s shoulder.

Pepper kept a tight grip on Loki’s wrist and led him to a path hidden just beneath the water, their splashing footsteps loud in the silence of the night.

Loki froze when they reached the island, a horrified cry being torn from his lips.

“Thor!” he cried, throwing himself down next to the emaciated skeleton that was his brother. 

He reached out, his hand falling away as he stared in horror. 

“Thor?” he whispered. He nearly didn’t recognize his beloved brother. He was thin, far thinner than any living creature should be. His hair was cruelly shorn and his eye was swollen shut. Iron burns wrapped around his wrists and ankles and Loki’s old scars ached with sympathetic pain.

“He’s in bad shape,” Anthony said gruffly, handing him off to Pepper and stepping back.

“Where did you find him?” Pepper asked, holding her hands over Thor’s body.

“He was in the woods not far from the Sithen. There was a Seelie charger standing guard over him. I sent Natasha to see to the horse and gather what belongings were with him.”

“What happened to him?” Loki gasped, his hand coming to rest on Thor’s head. His skin was dry and flaky.

“If I had to guess, Odin,” Anthony said darkly, pacing the confines of the small island. 

Loki never expected Odin to harm his own son. Children were precious gifts to the Sidhe and no parent would dare lay a hand to their child.

“Thor, Thor, can you hear me?” Loki asked. Pepper manhandled Thor into Loki’s lap, his head resting on Loki’s thigh. Loki ran his fingers through Thor’s short hair, hands shaking.

Thor groaned, one blue eye fluttering open. He didn’t seem capable of focusing on anyone, his gaze cloudy.

“Loki?” he said, his voice hoarse.

“I’m here, brother,” Loki whispered, ignoring the tears running down his face.

Thor offered him a weak smile and went limp. Pepper cursed quietly, resting her hands on him.

“Save him,” Loki said, looking up at the king. “You are the most powerful Sidhe I’ve ever met. Save him.”

Anthony stopped his pacing, staring down at Loki. His tricolored whiskey eyes glowed with power, but Loki could feel the sadness there.

“I cannot.”

“You have so much power! You cannot or you will not?” Loki spat.

“I cannot,” Anthony said, voice hard. “I could bring forth blood from every wound he’s ever had, I could make him sink into madness in the darkness of his mind. I can take his life from him and give him true death, but healing is not my strength.”

“Why?” Loki cried.

“Because I was once a death deity. The Fae called me the Merchant of Death, the mortals called me a name I gave up to the Goddess when I renounced it. I was once death personified, Loki. I cannot bring new life into the world.” 

He swore he saw a flash of sadness in Anthony’s eyes at that, but it was gone before he was sure.

Loki was completely silent, staring at Anthony in something akin to fear. He had heard of the Fae called the Merchant of Death, the one being that could bring true death to the immortal Faerie. They called him the merchant because they tried to trade him for their lives. The Merchant of Death was never merciful. 

Anthony sighed, shoulders slumping as his eyes fell on Pepper. “Pepper is a healer,” he said. “And so are you, Loki. I cannot help Thor, but you both can. I can only offer you my strength to channel, but if I touch him he will die.”

“Loki, I will need your help,” Pepper said, interrupting Loki’s thought. Loki stared at the queen, feeling the magick coursing through her. “What is he lord of?”

Loki looked down at his brother. At the moment he looked like he was lord of nothing, thin and weak and beaten as he was. 

“Storms and fertility,” Loki whispered. There was that sad look in Anthony’s eyes again that fled before Loki could decipher it.

“Then he will benefit the most from being out here,” Pepper said. “He is already skyclad, so he needs to be in contact with the earth.”

Loki reluctantly lowered him to the bare earth, staring at him. 

“The earth is directly connected to fertility,” Pepper said, using her thumb to force Thor’s mouth open and dripping a potion down his throat. “The Goddess will be able to embrace him fully from here.”

“What do you need me to do?” Loki whispered. He was vaguely aware of Anthony moving off the island to meet another Sidhe, but Thor was the only thing that mattered. He did as Pepper directed him, both of them carefully cleaning every wound and wiping down his skin.

Anthony stopped next to Natasha, the Widow of the court.

“The Seelie horse left as soon as he was unsaddled,” Natasha said quietly, eyes not leaving her king. “The saddlebags were full and there was a cloak on the ground where you found the Seelie prince. These letters were in them.”

She handed him a saddlebag and three letters.

“I have taken the remaining saddlebags to Loki’s room. I believe they were full of his belongings.”

“You are magnificent as always, Natasha,” Anthony said, running his free hand through his hair. Natasha rested a hand on his shoulder and leaned forward, brushing her lips over his.

“They will be fine, my king,” she whispered. “Pepper is the best healer in all of Faerie.”

Anthony smiled at her, squeezing her hand.

“I will keep an eye on the Seelie court,” Natasha said. “I imagine that there will be repercussions from this.”

Anthony nodded, eyes distant. “There will be war, I think. Maybe not soon, but it is coming.”

Natasha was silent, the two Sidhe staring out over the water at the island.

“The Unseelie will be ready, your majesty,” Natasha said.

Anthony watched her walk away, an uneasy feeling in his chest.

:::

Loki worked side by side with Pepper to save his brother. He had thought his mother was the best healer he had ever seen, but Pepper’s gift for healing was amazing. He wasn’t really sure why he was there.

Finally, what felt like days later, Pepper sat back. She was pale and shaking and Loki knew she had poured her own energies into Thor to save him. He watched as flowering vines grew from the earth, wrapping around Thor’s thin body and cradling him.

Pepper let herself fall onto her butt, eyes slipping closed. Anthony was suddenly there, holding her up and whispering in her ear. Pepper laced their fingers together and let him hold her.

“He will survive,” Pepper said. Loki felt the tension that had filled him since Anthony had shadow walked away leave him and he let out a relieved sigh. “He will be weak for some time, but he will survive.”

Loki bent over his brother’s flower covered body and wept, relieved tears running freely down his face. He felt a warm hand on his shoulder and leaned into the touch, taking the offered comfort. 

He looked up into Anthony’s eyes.

“I am sorry for what I said about you not healing him,” Loki whispered.

Anthony gave him a soft smile. “It is not your fault, Loki. You are far too young to know who I used to be, and I doubt Odin would ever speak of my past. I will have food brought to you, since I doubt you will leave Thor’s side.”

Loki shook his head. He would not leave Thor. 

Anthony smiled and bent over, kissing his head. He slid a letter into Loki’s hand. “This was with the horse that brought Thor to us.”

Loki’s hands shook when he saw his mother’s familiar hand writing. He broke the wax seal and opened it, staring at her words.

_Loki-_  
I must beg your forgiveness. I should have stopped Odin that night. I should have stopped Odin the night he went out and slaughtered your birth parents. I am sorry I did not. I vowed when he put you in my arms, your beautiful scales still soft and tender, that I would protect you.  
I failed you, my beautiful son. Even if you no longer call me Mother, I love you. I should have told you when you were old enough to understand. I should have told you before you went to the Unseelie court. Odin would not let me and placed a geas on me. I should have tried harder to fight it and I am so very sorry.  
I knew as soon Thor held you the first time when you were a babe that your fates were entwined together. He tried to leave that night, to follow you. Odin would not let him leave and locked him away in one of the cells. Tonight, Lords Barnes and Rogers are helping me break him out.  
Please, my son, take care of him. He will be weak and he will be scared. I know he did not take to the Unseelie court the way you did, but he would follow you anywhere. Love him, Loki. Love each other like you both deserve.  
War is coming. The winds whisper horrible messages. I will try to hold Odin off as long as I can, but I know war will befall the courts again. Be ready. The next time we see each other will be on the opposite ends of the battlefield.  
I love you. Be happy.  
~Your mother, Frigga 

Loki closed his eyes and folded the letter carefully, sliding it into a pocket against his chest. He looked at his brother, covered in flowering vines as the earth and the Goddess healed him.

“Oh, Thor,” he whispered.

He would remain by Thor’s side, if only so he could smack him upside the head when he finally woke.

:::

It took nearly two weeks before Thor woke up. He was still horribly thin and pale, his hair ragged and his one eye still swollen shut, but he was awake.

“Loki?” Thor’s voice broke Loki from his reading. He set the book aside and leaned forward, running a hand over Thor’s head.

“Thor? Are you with me this time?”

“Always,” Thor murmured, closing his eye at the touch. 

Loki gave him a wry smile. “You’ve woken a few times and were not cognizant of where you were. Shh, don’t try to move. Pepper and Anthony will be here in moments.”

“I made it then?” Thor asked, trying to sit up. Loki easily helped him, letting Thor lean against him. “I made it to the Unseelie court?”

“Yes, you did,” Anthony’s voice came from behind them. Loki tilted his head and smiled at the king and queen as they knelt next to them. 

Thor’s eye focused on the king and tears welled in it, running down his cheek. Loki brushed the tears away, shifting sideways as Pepper ran her hands over Thor’s body, checking his wounds.

Thor twitched when she placed her palm over his ruined eye. He felt her skin heat up and his back arched as a bolt of pain lanced through his head. When she pulled her hand away, he found he could see out of that eye. 

“Oh…” he whispered, lifting a hand to touch his face. Pepper gave him a soft smile and sat back, her body pressed against the king’s.

“Your eye may be a different color now,” she said. “I had to use magick to reconstruct it and it is not quite the same as before.”

“I don’t care,” Thor said. “I can see out of it. That’s what I care about.”

Pepper nodded and she and Loki helped him sit up. Thor looked around, taking note of the lake surrounding the little island they were on. He could see a makeshift bed next to where he’d been laying and knew in his heart that Loki had stayed beside him the entire time. He didn’t remember seeing this part of the Unseelie Sithen during their visit, Goddess, had it really been over six years ago?

“Where are we?” he asked, voice rough. Anthony pulled out a wineskin and handed it to Loki. Thor nearly groaned when the sweet, honeyed water ran down his throat, Loki steadying the wineskin while Thor greedily drank.

“This island is where I come to commune with the Goddess,” Anthony said, running his fingers through the lush grass. It seemed that Thor’s stay on the island had caused a sudden growth of the plant life on the small island. “No one can come here without my permission, and you needed to be close to the earth and the Goddess to heal. On that, how do you feel?”

Thor stared at his hands, surprised at how skeletal they still were. “I…am not sure,” he said honestly, his voice barely above a whisper. “My own father did this to me…to us. He beat me and locked me up for a year. I believe he would have left me there if it wasn’t for Mother getting Steve and James to help free me. I…I don’t know.”

Loki rested his hand on Thor’s shoulder, squeezing gently. Thor finally lifted his eyes and Loki tensed. This was it. Thor would see him as he truly was; Unseelie and half-goblin. Anthony’s hand rested gently on his back for a moment before the king and queen of the Unseelie slipped away, giving Loki and Thor time alone.

“Loki…” Thor whispered, a thread of wonder in his voice. He reached up, fingers ghosting over the scales at Loki’s temple. Loki’s face was set, prepared for Thor to turn away from him.

“You have scales,” Thor whispered. “Is…Is it because you joined the Unseelie?”

Loki arched his eyebrow but didn’t move away from Thor’s fingers.

“Did Mother not tell you?”

Thor frowned, fingers caressing the scales on Loki’s face. Loki shuddered, leaning into the touch.

“I was locked up the night you were exiled,” Thor whispered. Loki growled, the desire to wrap his hands around Odin’s neck and squeeze the life out of him growing by the minute.

“Odin is not my father,” Loki said, shifting his legs to be more comfortable. Thor leaned against him and Loki spread the thick fur cloak around his shoulders around them both.

“What?” Thor asked, jerking to look at him. Loki stared at him, serious as he cupped Thor’s cheek. 

“I was born to the King of the snake goblins and an Unseelie Sidhe noble woman,” Loki said, voice soft. “Odin found them lying together and murdered them out of disgust. He took me, wrapped me in a glamour to hide my true form, and gave me to Frigga to raise. He never loved me.”

Thor stared, trying to comprehend what Loki was saying. “You were born…Unseelie?”

“Yes,” Loki whispered.

Thor ran his fingers over Loki’s face again, exhaustion already creeping back into his weakened body. 

“Do you find me hideous?” Loki asked.

“No,” Thor whispered. “No, Loki. You are beautiful. Your scales are beautiful. I love you.”

Loki felt like he might float away at Thor’s words. He pulled him close and buried his face in the crook of Thor’s shoulder.

“Anthony and Pepper will welcome you to this court,” Loki whispered. “And we won’t have to hide ever again.”

Thor’s thin arms wrapped around him and they held each other. “No matter who your parents were, you are still my brother,” Thor said into Loki’s hair. He could feel the cool hardness of Loki’s scales against his skin and he found that he liked it. “You are my brother and I love you.”

“I love you, brother,” Loki whispered.

They sat there, the scent of roses and the love of the Goddess wafting around them.

:::

Sidhe healed quickly. Now that Thor was no longer locked up and his body had been nourished by the earth as the Goddess cradled him, he started to recover quickly. Anthony gave them a suite of rooms similar to his and Pepper’s. Loki had been surprised to find some of his belongings from the Seelie court in the room when he first returned from his vigil next to Thor.

There was his snake painting, some of his most prized books, and the goblet James Barnes had made for him. He felt a tight knot unravel in his chest at the sight. He had missed his things, even though Anthony had no qualms about gifting him with new ones. 

He stared at Thor, sprawled in the bed and sleeping deeply. His brother—Thor would always be his brother—still slept a lot, but his muscles were filling back out and his hair was starting to grow back. He spent as much time as his body would allow training with the guards who had welcomed him back among them.

There was a new wildness—a darkness—to Thor that had never been there before, and Loki liked it. His brother was no longer the golden Seelie prince of his youth.

“Like what you see, brother?” Thor’s voice was muffled by the furs under his head. Loki walked forward and sat next to him, running his hand over Thor’s back. He was still thin, but was gaining weight and muscle every day.

“More and more every day,” Loki said honestly, resting his hand on Thor’s shoulder. Thor rolled onto his side, capturing Loki’s hand with his own. He ran his fingers over the scales on Loki’s skin. Loki had been surprised at how easily Thor had accepted his scales, although Anthony had said that Thor would love him if he had eight heads and a tentacle for a dick.

The king so did have a way with words.

Thor stretched languidly and yanked Loki down for a kiss. Loki huffed, bracing his hand on Thor’s chest as they kissed. 

“How is the training with the King’s Guard going?” Loki asked. 

Thor hummed, mismatched eyes half closed. “Physically, quite well.”

“Physically?” Loki asked, propping his chin on Thor’s shoulder.

Thor shrugged, his fingers tangled in Loki’s long hair. “My lightning is hard to control. I severely wounded Natasha when I could not control it.”

Loki frowned. “You have been able to control your storms for centuries. Why are you losing control now?”

Thor shrugged again, eyes focused on the ceiling. “I do not know.”

“Will the Widow recover?”

“Yes, she spent the night with Queen Pepper and has no lasting ill-effects from my lack of control.”

“Have you spoken to Anthony about this?”

“Would he be able to help?”

“Even if he can’t help directly, he is very old, Thor. He may have seen something like this before.”

“That is a good idea, brother.”

“All of my ideas are good ideas.”

Thor chuckled, using his hold on Loki’s hair to drag him closer. Their lips ghosted over each other and they were laughing when they kissed.

:::

Anthony watched as Thor went through his paces with the guard. Thor’s body crackled with lightning and he staggered as the rest of the guard scattered, no one wanting to be hurt by his unbridled power.

“He is powerful,” Anthony said, glancing at Loki. Loki nodded, eyes focused on his lightning rod of a brother.

“This is power like I’ve never seen from him,” Loki admitted. “He has always been powerful. He was one of the strongest warriors in the Seelie court, rivaled only by Steve Rogers, although Steve cannot channel magick to save his life. But this…I have never seen this before.”

Both Sidhe turned as Pepper joined them, slipping between them to watch as Thor writhed on the ground, lightning dancing away from his body. No one could approach him without being wounded and no one wanted to get hit by lightning. The Sidhe may be nearly immortal, but they could still be hurt.

Pepper stared down at him before lacing her fingers with Anthony’s. “When I was healing him, I discovered a glamour on him as well.”

Loki and Anthony looked at her in surprise. She offered them a brief smile. “Not like the one on Loki, but one shackling his innate magick.”

“Odin placed limits on his magick?” Anthony asked, looking back down at Thor as the lightning finally petered out.

“So it would seem. I removed it. It was sapping his strength and slowing the healing process. I did not expect so much power, though.”

“Is it only during training that it happens?” Anthony asked, looking around Pepper at Loki. Loki’s cheeks flushed and he shook his head.

“It’s happened in bed a few times, although not to that extent.”

Anthony nodded, scratching at his chin.

“I think I have an idea,” he said, kissing Pepper’s temple before striding out of the training hall.

“Well, we won’t see him for at least a week,” Pepper said dryly. Loki snorted and the two turned back to watch Natasha and Rhodey help Thor to his feet.

:::

Thor shoveled food in his mouth in the guard’s dining hall, half listening to Loki’s discussion with Natasha. They spoke of magick and subterfuge and he was glad Loki was so relaxed and happy in the Unseelie court. He had never seen Loki so utterly free in the summer court.

Was this what the Goddess and Consort had in mind for them from the beginning? He didn’t know. He shook away the memory of being locked up and focused on his food. He could feel his power just beneath his skin, tingling and running through him. He had never felt anything like it before.

He had always been able to call storms, to make the rains fall and the thunder roll in the heavens. He had been able to make the flowers bloom and to bless the lesser Fae with fertility. Now, he felt like he _was_ a storm. He felt like he could level the world with his power, and bring it back with a touch.

He never knew how much power he had inside him. He didn’t know whether or not to be scared or to revel in the power.

The doors to the hall slammed open and Anthony rushed in. His hair was disheveled and his face was smudged with soot and char. Silence fell as the king weaved between the guards, finally coming to a halt before Thor and Loki. He bounced on his feet and Thor was struck by how young this ancient king seemed.

“Come with me,” Anthony said, reaching out and grabbing Thor’s wrist. Anthony didn’t touch Thor as freely as he did Loki, but Thor could feel the power and strength in his calloused grip. “I have something for you. Come on, come on.”

Thor managed to keep a hold of his turkey leg as the king dragged him out of the hall, Loki on their heels. He could hear the other guards rising and following them, soft whispers volleying around the corridor as Anthony led them to the training hall, his grip on Thor’s wrist never relenting.

The doors to the training hall slammed opened without a touch and Anthony pulled Thor to the center. Resting on a pedestal was a war hammer, the head heavy and the haft twisted with braided black leather. Thor froze, staring at it. He could feel the power of it calling to him, reaching for him.

“What is it?” Thor whispered, barely aware of the rest of the guard fanning out around them and Loki at his shoulder.

“ _Her_ name is Mjolnir,” Anthony said, voice nearly vibrating with excitement. “I made her for you.”

Thor had heard that the king of the Unseelie was a metalsmith of unsurpassed ability, but this was the first time he had seen evidence of his talent. 

Anthony darted forward, his hand coming to rest on Mjolnir’s haft. He caressed the leather and Thor could feel magick twisting from the king to the hammer. Lightning sparked across Thor’s skin and he moaned, desperate to touch the hammer.

Anthony smiled, stepping back and gesturing to Mjolnir. “Take her, Thor. She’s yours.”

Thor wrapped his fingers around Mjolnir’s handle, eyes fluttering closed at the touch. He felt his magick surge into and through the hammer. The air was suddenly charged and those closest to Thor threw themselves back to stay out of the way of the crack of lightning. 

Loki watched as Thor lifted the hammer and another bolt of lightning struck him. Anthony stood there with a grin on his face, amber eyes glittering with power.

The storm didn’t completely die but it stabilized, thunder echoing through the halls of the Sithen. 

“Thor?” Loki asked, stepping forward when he was sure he wouldn’t be struck by lightning. 

Thor opened his eyes and looked at his brother, his eyes glowing white with power. Loki thought he had never seen anyone so beautiful in his life.

“How do you feel?” Anthony’s voice cut through their eye contact. Thor’s focus shifted to him and he smiled at the king.

“Amazing,” Thor said. “I feel…I don’t know, my king. I feel like the magick that’s been escaping me is calming down.”

Anthony nodded, a small smile on his face. “Until you get used to wielding that much power, Mjolnir will help you channel it safely.”

“But where did this power come from?” Thor asked, swinging the hammer in his hand.

“It has always been yours,” Anthony said. Thor frowned, glancing at Loki.

“Queen Pepper said that there was a glamour on you, shackling your power,” Loki said softly. Thor closed his eyes and lowered his head.

“Father fettered my magick?” he whispered.

“We believe so,” Anthony said, resting his hand on Thor’s shoulder. Thor stared at the hammer in his hand, blinking back tears. He sniffed and dashed them away, looking up to the ceiling and trying to get control of himself. 

His own father had chained Thor’s magick as effectively as he had chained and gagged Loki that night. Had his mother known what Odin had done to him?

He had no way of knowing. The Seelie court was closed off to them and no messages were getting through.

He wiped away more tears and let out a long breath as Loki took his free hand. He couldn’t think about the Seelie court, about those he had left behind. Odin had made it quite clear that he wasn’t Seelie anymore.

No, he—and Loki—were Unseelie now. All that was left was to make it official.

He traded glances with Loki and his brother’s lips curved into a knowing smile. As ever, Loki always seemed to know what he was thinking. They had spoken of it many times since Thor had recovered and the time was finally right.

Thor stood up straight, towering over King Anthony. Anthony arched his eyebrow but remained silent. There was an anticipatory silence weighing down the guard and he knew when to keep his silence. 

“We would swear fealty to you, King Anthony Stark,” Loki said, green eyes locking with Anthony’s amber. Anthony’s eyes widened a fraction of an inch.

“You are both aware that you do not need to do that. You are welcome here no matter what.”

“We want to,” Thor said, sweeping his red cape behind him and dropping to a knee. He rested Mjolnir in front of him and bowed his head. “We have discussed it.”

Anthony glanced at Loki and Loki dropped to a knee.

“I was born Unseelie, Anthony,” Loki said. “I was raised in the golden court but it never felt like home. In this court, even before I was exiled by the man I called father, I felt more welcome and loved than I ever had in that court. You have shown us how Faerie should be, Anthony. You have opened my eyes to the love of the Goddess again, and you have accepted the love Thor and I share without thought. Who would we swear ourselves to if not you?”

Anthony tilted his head, his dark hair falling over his shoulder. “You are aware that an oath to me is a blood oath, correct? And I know you are perfectly aware of what that means with my magick.”

Loki nodded, eyes never leaving Anthony’s. Anthony’s status of King of Blood and Darkness meant he had power over blood. He could call the blood forth from anyone’s body, opening old wounds and bleeding them dry. He could kill someone from a papercut. 

A blood oath gave him power over those who swore it. He could reach down that link and see into their very souls. He could push darkness and madness into their minds and destroy them utterly if they betrayed him.

“We are aware, my king,” Thor said. “And we both wish to join your court officially.”

Anthony stared down at them, completely inscrutable. 

Odin had been enraged when Anthony had been chosen by the Goddess to lead Faerie; so enraged that he had split the court into two a millennia earlier. Anthony had considered trying to recombine the courts into one. He thought he might be able to do it if Odin and some others in the Seelie court were out of the way, but he knew if he took Thor and Loki’s oaths that Odin would never forgive him.

Anthony reached into the folds of his tunic and pulled out two wickedly sharp daggers. “I made these for you, Loki, out of the same metal that Mjolnir is made from. If you really want to do this, I would use these daggers to bind you to me.”

Loki stared at the beautiful weapons. The blades were sharp and he felt like his heart would beat out of his chest at the sight of the snakes carved on the hilts.

“Yes,” Loki said.

“Yes,” Thor echoed.

The King’s Guard flowed around them like a river, leaving a wide space around the king and the two Sidhe on their knees. Anthony looked down at them, Loki’s twin daggers in his hands. He flipped one and offered it to Loki hilt first. 

Loki took it and felt his magick rise up. He knew it would increase when he held both daggers.

“They’re made to help us channel magick,” Loki said in surprise. He hadn’t needed a channel in centuries.

Anthony nodded. “I know you do not necessarily need a channel, but even I use one in battle.”

The room tensed at the word battle and Loki could hear the guards shifting. Everyone knew that the Seelie would not forgive what was about to happen, and yet they stood by their king.

Odin could only dream of his people being that loyal.

“They are wonderful gifts,” Thor said, tilting his head to the hammer and Loki’s daggers. Anthony hummed in reply, twirling the second dagger in his hand.

“You are sure you want to do this?” Anthony asked. “Once the oath is made, there is no going back. If you break it, your life is forfeit.”

“I want this,” Loki said. He was Unseelie and he wanted to prove it.

“I want this,” Thor said. He was no longer Seelie and he wanted to cut his ties to the golden court.

Anthony nodded. Between one breath and the next a crown of thorn and shadows twisted into shape on his head. The room was darker, shadows reaching for the king like a lover. Years ago it would have frightened Thor and Loki, but they had seen true evil in the face of the man they called Father and Anthony did not scare them.

Anthony’s hand shot out, the dagger a silver blur. Thor and Loki felt the blade bite into their foreheads, right below their hairline. Blood welled from the cuts, running down their skin. The wounds burned and Loki knew they would scar.

The king drew the blade across one palm and then the other, opening old scars. He gently set the dagger down and stepped over it, standing right in front of Thor and Loki.

He pressed his hands onto their heads, his blood mixing with the cuts on their heads. Loki gasped as he felt a tendril of darkness push into his mind, caressing him like the lover he knew Anthony could be. Judging by the moan Thor let out, he was feeling the same thing. 

The words seemed to materialize in Loki’s mind.

“I swear myself to darkness, to the shadows and depths of Faerie. I pledge my life and my abilities to you, King of Blood and Darkness. My magick is yours, my life is yours. I give myself to the Unseelie, mind, body, and soul. If you desire my life, it is yours.”

“I, King of Blood and Darkness, accept your oath, Loki Laufeyson, and welcome you home. You are Unseelie, and you are mine.”

Loki felt the cut on his head flare white hot and he closed his eyes against the sudden pain. He opened his eyes when he felt Anthony’s fingers grasp his chin, tilting his head back.

“Welcome home,” Anthony said, his voice gentle. Loki smiled and Anthony kissed the corner of his mouth, his other hand still on Thor’s head. Loki got to his feet and watched, running his hand over the new silver scar hidden by his hairline. 

Thor closed his eyes, feeling the way the king’s darkness caressed his soul. He had once sworn himself to Odin, and it had been one of the most painful experiences of his life. This was nothing like that.

This almost felt like coming home.

Thor opened his eyes. “I offer myself to the Unseelie. I was not born here. I was raised in the sunlit court to hate you all, and yet you have never shown me that hatred. You have shown me that I can revel in love and not be destroyed for it. I swear myself to darkness, to the shadows and depths of Faerie. I pledge my life and my abilities to you, King of Blood and Darkness. My storms are yours, my life is yours. I give myself to the Unseelie, mind, body, and soul. If you desire my life, it is yours.”

“I, King of Blood and Darkness, accept your oath, Thor Stormbringer, and welcome you home. You are Unseelie and you are mine.”

Thor closed his eyes against the pain of the cut healing as the oath was sealed. He blinked back tears at being called Stormbringer. It was like the king knew that he didn’t want to claim relation to Odin. He opened his eyes when he felt strong arms wrap around him in a hug.

“You will never be chased from here because of who you love,” Anthony whispered in his ear. Thor sagged in his arms, a soft cry escaping him. Anthony held him easily and then kissed Thor on the mouth. Thor leaned into the kiss and then slowly got to his feet.

“Welcome to the King’s Guard,” Rhodey said.

The guard let out a cheer and surged forward, slapping Thor and Loki on the back. Rumlow broke out the casks of mead and Natasha called for food. 

Anthony smiled and stepped back, using the shadows to mask his body. He watched as Thor and Loki were completely accepted by his guard, his friends. When Natasha pulled Loki down for a heated kiss and Brock Rumlow tugged Thor close, Anthony slipped out of the door.

He would leave them to their celebration. While he had participated in more than one of the guards’ celebratory nights, this one was not for him.

Some things were not for kings, but that was okay. He disappeared into the shadows, heading for his queen. 

They could have their own celebration.

:::

Many hours later, Thor and Loki stumbled into their room. Thor caressed Mjolnir and then rested her on the top of his wardrobe. He turned to find Loki watching him, a smirk on his face.

“Brother,” Thor said, stepping closer. Loki’s smirk widened and he wrapped one arm around Thor’s waist, breathing the same air as him. He could almost taste rain in Thor’s breath and it made him smile.

“So, you are Unseelie now,” Loki whispered, running one hand over his chest. Thor captured Loki’s fingers and pressed a kiss to them. “I never imagined you’d want to be the center of the Unseelie guards’ attention. But you looked so beautiful and debauched.”

“Yes, I could tell you were enjoying it,” Thor said, dropping a kiss on the corner of Loki’s mouth.

“You must know that if you had joined the goblin court I would have followed you there,” Thor said seriously. “I thought I lost you that night, when Fath—when Odin exiled you. I thought you were dead and I prayed every day that I would join you in death. When Mother and Steve and James freed me, I didn’t know if you were alive.”

Thor cupped Loki’s cheek and kissed him gently. “When I opened my eyes on that little island and saw you looking down at me, nothing else mattered. You are my world, Loki. Wherever you are is home, be it in the Seelie court or Unseelie court, or even if we gave it all up and went to live among the mortals.”

“Goddess forbid that last one,” Loki murmured, resting his head on Thor’s shoulder. Thor chuckled, his arms tightening around Loki’s lithe form. Loki ran his hand up and down Thor’s back, glad the broad muscles he had so adored growing up were coming back.

“I love you, Loki.”

Loki hummed, tilting his head back for a kiss. “You are so very sentimental.”

Thor smiled. “So I am.”

Loki continued to touch Thor, reveling in being able to touch him wherever and whenever he wanted. It had been nearly a year since Thor’s escape from the Seelie, nearly two since Loki’s exile. They had spoken little of the golden court, silently agreeing to move on.

Partaking in the King’s Guard’s celebration had cemented their place in the Unseelie court.

“Were you jealous?” Loki whispered. “Watching me with the others?”

At the beginning of their relationship, he would have been. Now? 

“No. No matter who you go to, I know you come back to me.”

Loki ran his thumb over Thor’s bearded cheek. “How mature you’ve grown.”

Thor gave him a sad smile. “I have been forced to mature exponentially in the past ten years.”

“We both have,” Loki said.

“I just want you right now, Loki.”

Loki ran his fingers through Thor’s hair. It was nearing his shoulders again and Loki was glad to see it long.

“You have me.”

Thor smiled and dragged his mouth over Loki’s stomach. Loki moaned as Thor took his length in his mouth. It felt different now. They were no longer Sidhe without a home.

Loki had embraced his heritage. Together they had embraced the darkness within themselves. They had embraced their love.

They were Unseelie.

“Thor,” Loki whispered, rolling his hips into Thor’s mouth. Thor’s mouth was warm and wet, tongue sliding around Loki’s slit. Loki moaned, burying his fingers in Thor’s hair and snapping his hips forward. Thor’s own cock was hard and dripping, a thin line of precome dribbling to the rug beneath his feet.

Loki tugged on Thor’s hair and dragged him to his feet, crushing their lips together in a hard kiss. Thor moaned and let Loki push him back to the bed, collapsing across the thick furs. Loki flicked his fingers at the fireplace and it roared to life, filling the room with heat. 

Thor pulled Loki down on top of him and they immediately resumed kissing. Loki could admit to himself that while he had adored his time with Anthony, Thor made him feel like he was soaring.

Thor rolled them, pushing Loki down into the furs without breaking the kiss. Loki found a vial of oil without breaking contact and pushed it into Thor’s hands. Time seemed to slow as they moved together, Thor finally pushing into Loki’s pliant body.

Magick rose up around them, twisting and dancing through the room. Thunder rumbled, either far overhead or deep within their souls, they didn’t know. The smell of roses filled the room and when Loki opened his eyes, Unseelie red roses were strewn around them on the bed.

Thor lifted his head, running his fingers through the roses.

“The Goddess approves of us,” Loki whispered, pulling him down and kissing him gently. Thor smiled into the kiss and their bodies resumed the dance, moving together as the world fell away.

:::

Another year passed and Thor and Loki became trusted guards of the king. They had an honored place at his side, and sometimes in his bed. Thor wielding Mjolnir like he was born to it, and Loki sometimes wondered if he was.

He may have been born in the Unseelie court, but he couldn’t help wondering if Thor had been born to _be_ Unseelie. The dark court suited his wild, storm calling brother much better than the golden court ever had.

Thor walked into the library, pausing to watch Loki and Pepper work magick. He smiled, his heart buoyed as it always was when he saw his brother. He waited patiently for them to finish; the last time he’d interrupted Loki mid spell his hair had been turned into a rather unflattering shade of pink.

“Good afternoon, Thor,” Pepper said, standing up when they were finished. 

“Good afternoon, my queen. Anthony is in his workshop.”

“Of course he is. I will see you both at dinner tonight.”

Thor and Loki bowed as she swept from the room followed by her guards. Loki glanced at his brother.

“Any word?”

“No. Charles and Erik have been trying to see into the court, but it is blocked to them. We’ve had no messages get through, and no messages from the Seelie.”

“And Anthony retreated to his workshop,” Loki finished, waving his hand at the seat in front of him. Thor sat down and took Loki’s hand, running his fingers over the scales on Loki’s skin. 

“He is worried,” Loki whispered.

“Yes,” Thor said. They were all worried. Many Unseelie remembered the last Faerie war that had led to the courts splitting into two. No one wanted another one, but it seemed they were heading that way.

“And Charles saw nothing?”

“No,” Thor said. “He said the Seelie court is blank to him.”

“Odin must be using powerful magick to block Charles’ sight.”

They sat in silence for a moment, their fingers tangled together. 

“Do you think Mother is okay?” Loki whispered.

“I don’t know,” Thor replied, his voice soft and heartbroken. “I do not know.”

There was nothing to say after that.

:::

Loki watched his brother spar with Rumlow and Natasha, the three brutally efficient in their practice. Rumlow used a longsword, Natasha, like Loki, favored knives and daggers, and Thor used Mjolnir.

The guard had upped their practice in the past few months. Everyone knew war was coming, they just didn’t know when.

As he watched his brother dance around the other two, Loki leaned forward. He knew what he wanted. He had no idea when the war would start, but he knew he wanted to be able to call Thor his in every way.

He waited until they finished sparring before approaching his brother. If anything, Thor was even broader than he had been before Odin had imprisoned him.

“Brother!” Thor said, grinning joyfully at his brother’s approach.

“Hello, Thor.”

Thor crushed him in a hug. Loki held him, reveling in the warmth of his brother’s skin. Thor kissed him, grinning when Loki’s nose wrinkled at the rank smell of sweat.

“Thor?” Loki asked as they walked over to the flasks of water.

“Yes, Loki?”

Loki stared at him and reached up to caress his cheek. “Handfast with me.”

Thor’s eyes widened as Loki’s words sank into his mind and then a smile broke across his face.

He scooped Loki into his arms and spun around. “Yes, Brother!”

Loki rested his hand on Thor’s shoulder. “We both know war is coming,” Loki said. “I would have you tied to me. I would have you be mine in every way before it arrives.”

“Yes,” Thor said, nodding intently. He tangled his fingers in Loki’s hair and kissed him again.

Neither one of them needed to say that Odin would feel the tie between them. They both knew it.

They both knew it would enrage him and it may even bring war earlier.

It didn’t matter.

Loki had spent his entire life not being selfish. He wanted to be selfish now. He deserved to be selfish now.

“Let us find the king,” Thor said.

“I am not tying myself to you while you smell like the back end of a rank horse,” Loki said with a sniff.

Thor laughed. “As you wish. Perhaps you could help me bathe first?”

“I think that could be arranged,” Loki agreed.

:::

Loki stood on top of a hill in the Unseelie forest, the moon heavy and pregnant in the sky. The breeze blew a few strands of hair across his forehead. He huffed and tucked it behind his ear, looking out over the forest.

He rested his hand on the stone altar next to him, idly scrubbing at dried blood with his nail. It was old blood; the solstice had been months ago and the sacrifice to the Consort had died well upon the stone. 

He heard footsteps and turned, smiling as Anthony joined him.

“Quite the view, is it not?” Anthony asked, resting his hands on the altar and staring out over his forest. Loki could see Fae creatures darting through the dark trees.

“It is,” Loki agreed.

They stood in an easy silence, the only sound the breeze.

“Beltane is tomorrow,” Anthony said. “A time of beginnings.”

“A good time for a handfast.”

Anthony smiled. “Indeed. You and Thor will join me here for the lighting of the bonfire. Natasha is taking care of Thor. Pepper will attend to you.”

Loki’s eyes widened. “The queen of the Unseelie is going to attend _me_?”

“Of course,” Anthony said easily. “You need to look pretty, well, prettier than you do right now, when you and Thor join together.”

He was silent for a beat. “Plus, she wants to.”

Loki bowed his head. “I would be honored, my king.”

Anthony smiled and squeezed Loki’s shoulder. “You are making the right choice.”

“Am I? Are we? You know as well as I that Odin will feel the bond to Thor snap. He will not be pleased.”

“War is coming, Loki. I can taste it in the air. Death is coming, and you and Thor denying yourselves this happiness will not change that. You are both already bound to me through blood. The handfast ceremony will bind you to each other. Odin already knows that Thor is mine now. He would have felt that the moment I bound him to me. You change nothing by being selfish this once, Loki.”

“Are you a mind reader as well?” Loki asked. How had Anthony known that he felt selfish for wanting to tie himself to Thor.

Anthony smiled. “No. Just old. I have seen a lot, Loki. I would see you happy. And wedding Thor will make you happy, will it not?”

Loki nodded, lips curling in a smile. “It will.”

“Then I will see you tomorrow, Loki. Rest well.”

Loki watched as the king trotted down the hill, disappearing into the shadows like he had never been there.

:::

Loki stood next to the queen, his hair pulled back in elaborate braids. The air was warm, the first hints of summer in the air. Thor stood next to Natasha, his own hair done in simpler but no less elaborate braids. Both men were gloriously naked and Loki let his eyes wander over Thor’s backside.

Loki thought he was beautiful.

Anthony stood before them. The altar had been taken over by a massive pile of wood, ready to light and bring in summer. The king was naked, relaxed in the eyes of the entire court.

Loki knew it wouldn’t take long for the members of the court to pair off and slip into the woods, bringing summer in through that oldest of dance. Many a child had been conceived on Beltane. 

Anthony spread his hands. “Tonight we light the Beltane fires and usher in summer. We revel in the love of the Goddess and Her Consort and join them in celebrating that love. Thor, Loki, join me.”

They stepped forward at the same time, taking the king’s outstretched hands.

“Mother, hear me!” Anthony cried. Loki thought he smelled roses. “Your oldest son calls out to you. These two have found each other through hardship and toil. Tonight, they would join together in sight of Your love.”

He stepped back and pulled them close together, directing them to clasp each other’s forearms. Pepper stepped forward, a braided silk cord in her hand. Anthony smiled at his wife and Loki saw the crown of thorn and shadows on his head. 

“Thor, you may speak,” Anthony said, draping the cord over his wrist and beginning the knot.

Thor smiled at Loki. “Loki, Brother. I have loved you since the first time Mother placed you in my arms, warning me not to drop you. I knew in that moment that our lives were tied together. For six hundred years we were brothers when I only wanted more. Now, we can have everything. I bind myself to you, Loki. I swear to be a pillar for you, to love you no matter what. We have been through the darkest depths and have come out stronger for it. I love you.”

Anthony nodded and placed the cord over Loki’s wrist. “Loki, you may speak.”

“Thor, Brother. It feels like I have loved you forever, even when you are a brainless oaf. I have watched you grow and mature and face things no one should have to. You could have had everything. It would have been handed to you. You left it all behind for me. I bind myself to you, Thor, and I swear to be a pillar to you and love you even when you are an idiot. I will walk beside you no matter what may come, even if you cannot see me. I love you.”

Anthony smiled and continued to wind the cord around their wrists and hands. He placed the end of the cord in each of their hands and rested his own over theirs.

“As this knot is tied, so your lives are bound,” Anthony said. “Woven into this very cord are your hopes and dreams and the love of the Goddess and Consort. With the fashioning of this knot, I tie all your desires, dreams, and love into your lives for as long as your love shall live.

“In the joining of hands and the tying of the knot, so your lives are bound, one to another. May this cord draw your hands together, never to be used in anger. May this knot remained tied as long as love shall last.”

He tapped their wrists and they pulled the cord tight, a knot forming in the center of it. Loki and Thor smiled at each other, each holding the end of the silver, green, and gold braided cord.

“Witnessed by the Unseelie court under the eyes of the Goddess, I declare you bound for life! Let the Beltane celebrations begin!”

The bonfire leapt into life, sparks dancing towards the sky and joining the stars in the heavens. 

Anthony smiled and stepped back, holding his hand out to Pepper. She took his hand and the two turned, walking down the hill to dance together beneath the moonlight. Natasha disappeared with Rhodey, the two heading in a different direction. Loki could see the Unseelie and Fae moving below them, some already joined together in passion. Other bonfires sparked across the land, glowing points of light. He could see shadows dancing around them, as naked as he was and just as joyous. 

Loki and Thor were the only two standing by the main bonfire, the flames casting their faces into shadows. Thor gently took the cord from Loki and draped it over Loki’s narrow shoulders, using it to pull him close.

Loki spread his hand over Thor’s chest, looking at his scales over Thor’s golden skin. He decided he liked the way it looked; his moon pale skin against Thor’s deeper honey. Thor’s fingers traced over the cord and Loki’s skin, running over the scales on the back of Loki’s neck. Loki tilted his head back and Thor lowered his head, kissing him deeply.

Loki opened himself to the kiss, a smile curling across his lips as Thor lowered them to the ground.

War was coming. Anthony, the former Merchant of Death himself, had said death was coming. At that moment, the heat of the flames beating against his skin, the grass cradling his body, and Thor’s lips against his, he didn’t care.

Here in the Unseelie court, bound to his brother, his lover, his _husband_ , he was finally home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos are love
> 
> next up in ACTS will be a shorter (I hope) piece focusing on Stephen and Steve and their relationship before Stephen went to the Unseelie. The next big one will be Pepperony and will include the war alluded to in this one.

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos are love!


End file.
